A Red Stained Remnant
by Kerrigor2
Summary: On the world of Remnant, in the city of Vale, there is a school for Hunters and Huntresses. This is the story of four girls at Beacon, who dream of fighting monsters.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning of Change

**Author's Note: **For anyone reading this for the first time, if you don't like the flow of this chapter, or you think the story starts off too boring, then skip to Chapter 5. The first few chapters were me kind of getting my bearings/working out where I wanted to go. Chapter 5 is when it everything kicks off. Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Weiss**

With an angry war cry and all the magnificence of a Huntress of legends, Ruby flew through the air with her scythe poised and aimed at the Nevermore's throat. I looked on in awe as she struck the cliff face, using my glyphs on the wall to keep her footing on the vertical surface. I couldn't believe it. That was Ruby. _Ruby! _She looked so confident, so determined; so unlike the Ruby I'd met yesterday.

Ever since we'd met, I'd thought of her as nothing but an overexcited child, too innocent to fathom the darkness in the world and too inexperienced to survive long enough to learn. I had to admit that she could handle herself in a fight, her speed alone was incredible, not to mention her scythe wielding. But she'd seemed so clueless, so air-headed and so immature; leaping into combat with no thought for the consequences, and without paying attention to anyone else.

But now, she took my breath away. I couldn't do anything but watch, and be amazed, as she took on a fully grown Nevermore and was _winning_. How could she be doing this? How could she actually be this capable? I felt a pang of jealousy; she was two years younger than us, she should be looking up to us, looking up to _me. _But, despite my jealousy towards her, she really was incredible.

She took off up the cliff face, firing her weapon for more momentum until she reached the top and severed the Nevermore's head from its neck. I gazed up at her as she turned back to face those of us down below, while the body of her fallen enemy fell down into the chasm below us. She posed a striking figure, standing atop a cliff face, over the body of her foe.

"Well, that was a thing." Yang said as she approached me from behind, I just continued to gaze up at Ruby. "Weiss? Are you okay?"  
"What? Oh! Yes, yes. I'm fine." I said, snapping myself out of my reverie. "I was just…"  
"Just what?"  
"Never mi-"

"Hey!" I heard a voice call out from behind us. "Hey guys! Can you give us some help here? The bridge is kind of… Uh… Gone." We turned to look back at Jaune, who was standing on the other side of the chasm, where the bridge had been destroyed in their battle with the Death Stalker. I sighed, Jaune really couldn't do anything without someone helping him. I readied a glyph to launch myself across the gap as Yang leapt off the edge and shot herself across the gap towards them.

Yang and I landed as Nora launched herself towards Blake, carrying the barely conscious Ren. I grabbed Pyrrha around the waist before sending the two of us sailing back across the gap; there was _no _way I was going to touch Jaune. Yang called out to Blake as I landed, who then shot her ribbon-attached weapon across to Yang, who tied the ribbon around Jaune's waist before throwing him off the edge. Blake swung Jaune up onto the platform we'd gathered on as Yang made her way back. As I glanced back up at Ruby, I saw she was readying herself to jump back down the cliff face.

"Wait there Ruby!" I called out to her. "We'll come to you!"  
"Okay!" She called back, after a moment's hesitation. I knew she'd have come running back down to help, despite the fact that we didn't need it, and despite the fact that it would only make things harder. She might be an amazing fighter and she might be trying to become more responsible, but she was still a child at heart.

* * *

I stood next to Ruby as we waited to head up on stage. Professor Ozpin was busy naming the teams and announcing the leaders, and Ruby, Yang, Blake and I appeared to be the last in line. I was still somewhat in awe of Ruby's actions earlier in the day, the way she'd taken leadership of the group, the way she'd planned out our battle strategy and the way that she had taken out the Nevermore in the end. Despite myself, despite how childish and _annoying_ this girl was, I found myself grudgingly beginning to respect her, maybe even to admire her. Admiration was the only word I had to describe the faint stirring in my heart I felt whenever I looked at Ruby's face.

Ruby was all grins, which stirred my heart more, seeing her grinning, chatting with Yang about their adventures that day. I was content to stand and watch, I felt no particular desire to engage in a conversation with them. Blake was standing quietly, not talking to anyone, merely watching the proceedings on stage. She was an interesting character, very quiet and mysterious. I couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason for that.

"Oh that was _so _awesome!" Ruby exclaimed, snapping me out of my musings. I elbowed her in the ribs to shut her up.  
"Shhh! Ruby! Why do you have to be so _loud_?" I whispered as she turned towards me. She blushed as she apologized sheepishly; I rolled my eyes in response. _Still a child, _I thought to myself, shaking my head. I felt so conflicted now; half of me admiring her, half of me wanting to beat her with a stick.

And that she definitely deserved the beating; despite her heroics earlier she had still more than earned a reprimand with her immaturity on our way to the temple. One act of heroism and smart planning was not enough the cancel out everything else she had done in the last day that had caused her to just be a nuisance. And while that one act might have been admirable, it wasn't enough to earn my complete respect straight away, or that of the faculty. Was it?

I was still pondering as Professor Ozpin called us up on stage, worrying over who would become our leader. I was convincing myself that it couldn't be Ruby, she was only fifteen, she was inexperienced, she was irresponsible and she was unreliable. I looked at her face again, forcing down that fluttering sense of admiration in my chest; she had not done enough to earn that admiration.

Just as I convinced myself of this, Professor Ozpin uttered the sentence that snapped me out of my thoughts: "Led by Ruby Rose." I gaped at Ruby in shock. _Her! Our leader! How? _Yang pushed past me before I could say anything, grabbing Ruby and telling her how proud she was. Blake and I stood on stage silently, watching the two of them, Blake in polite quietness, myself in complete shock.

I felt my admiration of her welling up, despite my outrage, mixing with the anger in my chest. How could that be? I'd convinced myself that she _didn't _deserve this, how could I be feeling pride right now? _I_ should've been picked as the leader, not her! It should've been _me_! But I still felt… happy for her. I'd never felt more conflicted, more confused, in my life…


	2. Chapter 2: The Strife Returns

**Blake**

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss screamed at Ruby from across the classroom. I'd noticed Weiss getting more and more aggravated at Ruby as the day had went on, but this outburst was the worst of it so far. Maybe the pressure of a raging Boarbatusk rushing at her had made Weiss snap. Either way, Ruby hadn't noticed Weiss' rising frustration, and I could see the hurt showing on her face at hearing Weiss' harsh words.

Weiss had seemed perfectly cordial with Ruby the previous day, after our battle with the Nevermore, but had turned cold this morning. Yang and I had discussed it while the two of them were out of earshot; we'd both noticed Weiss' angry glares at Ruby. I shared a look of concern with Yang as she turned to rest a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder. I looked on quietly as Weiss dispatched her opponent, before strutting out of the room. I shook my head in disapproval as we rose to leave class, jotting down a quick note of our assigned readings for that night.

Ruby made her way after Weiss, with a hurt, yet concerned, expression. Yang made to go after her, but stopped when I laid a hand on her shoulder, shaking my head at her. Yang sighed as she looked at Ruby's retreating figure, before nodding at me and leading the way back to our dorm. I took one last glance at Ruby as she turned a corner in the hallway, hoping that the two of them would manage to settle their differences.

* * *

When Yang and I arrived out our dorm, Yang still had a concerned expression on her face. I stood in the doorway as she climbed up onto her bed. I looked at our new, shoddily made bunk beds and couldn't hold back a smile. Weiss had seemed happy enough when we'd woken up, for Weiss' standards. She'd helped us decorate and build our bunk beds, our first team assignment, and the first order issued by our new leader.

"I hope they'll be okay," said Yang, putting words to exactly what I was thinking. "We've only been a team for _one day_; we can't be fighting amongst ourselves already." I smiled at Yang's concern.  
"They'll be okay," I replied. Yang looked up at me, looking unconvinced. "Yang, they'll be fine."  
"Will they though? I mean, we don't even know what Weiss is mad about."  
"She's probably jealous, or upset, that Ruby was named our leader."

"But Professor Ozpin chose _all_ the leaders, Ruby had nothing to do with that! And anyway, I think she'll be a _great_ leader. She's smart, and dedicated, and self-sacrifi-"  
"Yang!" I interrupted her rant, trying to calm her down. "There's no need to convince me. I trust Professor Ozpin's judgement. She might need to find her feet, but she definitely has what it takes." Yang smiled at my words, relief beginning to show on her face. I smiled back at her before continuing. "Just think of this as the first hurdle she needs to make it over to become who she needs to be to be a leader."

"So you're saying Weiss being mad at her is a good thing?" Yang asked, looking confused, and somewhat upset.  
"I'm saying it _can _be, for both of them." I held my hands up, motioning for Yang to calm down. "Ruby needs to work out how to deal with issues like this. And the earlier she gets her bearings, the better for the team." Yang nodded in agreement as I spoke before looking up at me and smiling.

"You're right," she said. "We just need to let them sort out their differences. After all, they _were_ paired together yesterday,"  
"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, confused. Yang  
"Well, we were paired together, and here you are, looking out for me." she replied, smiling and slightly blushing. "They need to make up with each other, because they need to have each other's backs, just like you have mine."  
"And you have mine?"  
"Absolutely!"  
"I see what you mean," I said, moving to sit on my own bed. "We have our bunks paired together as well." I observed.  
"Exactly!"

"Do you think we'll always be a team split into pairs? That doesn't seem like a very good mentality for a team to have." I asked, gazing up at the bottom of Yang's bed, deep in thought.  
"I think we'll make a good team, but we might be closer to our first partner. Besides, Weiss was the first friend that Ruby made here. So that leaves us."  
"Oh, so I'm just your partner because there's no one else left?" I asked, feigning an affronted tone.  
"I didn't mean it like that. I dunno, I just… It makes sense to me that the pairs would stick together."  
"I know what you meant, and I agree. It has seemed that way so far."

Yang and I shared a smile, Yang hanging over the edge of her bed to look down at me, before beginning to unpack our text and note books; we didn't know how long Ruby and Weiss would be, so all we had to do was to just wait for them to come back. A ruckus in the hallway outside made me look up at the door, hoping that they were coming back. But when the door remained closed I realised the noise was Team JNPR returning to their dorm across the hall. I sighed quietly to myself as I turned my attention to the open book on my lap.

* * *

I looked up as Ruby came in the door, looking much happier and more relaxed; a small smile on her face. Yang leapt off her bunk and grabbed Ruby in a bear hug, lifting her into the air. I smiled to myself; Yang was so protective of her little sister. I found it adorable, but at the same time I felt a little jealous of Ruby.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yang asked. I looked up quickly, worried she was asking me, but sighed in relief when I saw she was still facing Ruby. Ruby was nodding and smiling at Yang, reassuring her.  
"Yes Yang, I'm fine, really," she said, smiling at her sister. "I just… I'm fine."  
"Just what?" Yang asked. "Are you sure everything's okay?"  
"I'm okay, I promise. I just needed to sort this whole 'being a leader' thing out." She smiled up at Yang's concerned face, the kind of smile that made you feel like everything _was_ alright; the reassuring smile of a responsible leader. _So she _has_ figured it out, _I thought, smiling to myself as a turned back to my book.

The three of us finished our homework and waited until well after sundown for Weiss to come back. Eventually Yang and I decided to go to sleep. We'd decided to give Weiss and Ruby time to sort out their own problems, and maybe Weiss just needed more time to think things through. Sparing another few seconds to peer out into the hallway to see if she was coming, Yang and I went to sleep, leaving Ruby up. She had decided to stay up studying until Weiss came back. I didn't doubt that Ruby would stay up for Weiss: the two seemed close to one another during our day in the forest. That was, if studying didn't bore her to sleep first. With that thought leaving an amused smile on my face, I dozed off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: One Merry Morning

**Author's Note: I'm trying to accelerate my plot a bit here, Chapter 4 will give you a taste of action that Chapter 3 is going to set up. Chapter 5 is going to be my "All Hell breaks loose" moment. So bear with me guys and gals, it's coming.**

* * *

**Ruby**

I leapt out of my bed at the sound of my alarm clock, ready and excited to begin our second day at Beacon. Our first day had turned out to be a bit dramatic, but I was happy, ecstatic, that Weiss and I had made up last night. Her words still sent a warm feeling buzzing through my chest, _"I think you have what it takes to be a good leader." _I nearly bounced up and down with joy: Weiss was beginning to recognise me. But that didn't mean I could slack off. She said I had what it takes to be a good leader, not that I was one.

Professor Ozpin's words also rang in my head, _"If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?"_ I knew that I needed to do my best now, at all times. Not just for Weiss, but for me. How could I think of myself as a proper leader until I could prove to my team that I was one?

As I made my way to my closet to pull out my uniform, I noticed that I was the only one awake. The rest of my team was still sleeping peacefully. Well it's probably a good thing for the leader to be the first one up anyway. I smiled at the thought as I changed my clothes. _Starting today, I'm going to be the best team leader _ever_!_

I walked over to the window of our dorm with a determined set to my shoulders before wrenching the curtain open, flooding the room with vibrant, early morning sunlight. The sudden brightening of the room started a series of groans as my teammates rolled away from the window, trying to stay asleep.

I smiled mischievously as I grabbed onto the whistle hanging around my neck.  
"I'm going to give you to the count of three before I blow the whistle…" I said, putting the whistle to my lips.  
"One…" I announced loudly. Yang groaned, waving a hand at me before flopping it back onto her bed. My grin widened further.  
"Ruby, stop it," she moaned. "Let us sleep." I chuckled at her, shaking my head.  
"Two…"  
"Ruby, please…" Blake pleaded. I sucked in a deep breath.  
"THR-"  
"Get up you two!" Weiss shouted. I looked at her in surprise; she was sitting up on her bed, rubbing her eyes. "Do as our leader says!" She almost knocked the two of them out of bed with the force of her glare.

I was shocked, why was Weiss backing me up? Then I remembered what else she'd said last night: _"I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have." _I guess she'd really meant it… I felt a comforting warmth filling me up again; I guess Weiss really was my friend now. I smiled at her, nodding my thanks.

"Come on guys! We need to get to class!" I shouted. That made Yang and Blake leap out of bed, dashing to get dressed. I laughed to myself as they rushed about, not checking the _actual_ time like Weiss had. She and I shared an amused smile as she calmly and slowly gathered her things for class.

Blake and Yang dashed to the door, looking at Weiss and I with two confused expressions.  
"Wait…" Yang said. The two of them looked at each other.  
"What time is it?" asked Blake. Weiss and I just laughed.

* * *

"That was horrible Ruby," Yang complained as we sat at the breakfast table. "You know I need my beauty sleep."

"Well we missed out on breakfast yesterday and I thought that would be a bad habit to get into." I replied, cutting up my pancakes.  
"Plus you wanted an excuse to use that stupid whistle." Yang said. I tried and failed to hold back a smile.  
"Well, maybe." I grinned up at her, causing her to grin back, shaking her head at me.

We tucked into our breakfast, talking and laughing. I was happy to see everyone getting along. As I was lifting a piece of pancake to my mouth, I noticed Weiss staring at me. She looked away quickly as I caught her eye, blushing furiously. I looked at her questioningly, feeling my own cheeks growing warm, but she shook her head and lifted her cup to drink, blocking her face from view.

Through the embarrassment of her watching me eat, I felt that warmth creeping back, growing stronger the longer I looked at Weiss. I forced myself to look away, shaking my head in an attempt to clear it. I focussed my attention on my breakfast, trying to plan out our day. I swallowed nervously as I remembered what class we had this morning…

* * *

"Welcome to Beacon Academy's specialized Physical Education class!" exclaimed the burly teacher before us whose name I had already forgotten. He was quite short, only slightly taller than me, but frighteningly muscular. I decided to name him Mr Boarbatusk: it seemed fit his physique. I giggled quietly to myself before mentally telling myself off. _You're a leader now Ruby, no time to be giggling in class. _

We were gathered on the open field just outside Beacon, dressed in our combat gear. I stood between Weiss and Jaune, listening to Mr Boarbatusk explain the timed obstacle course we were supposed to run. I felt a strange anxiety standing next to Weiss, standing this close to Weiss. _What's wrong with you?_ I thought. _It's only Weiss, you weren't this nervous around her the other day, even when she hated you! _I made myself focus on the obstacle course, planning out my route through it.

My anxiety slowly disappeared as I imagined myself launching over barriers, sliding under walls and making my way through the obstructions along the path. I was still imagining all the ways I could move through it, completely ignoring the teacher's speech, when Blake took off through the course. I watched her doing her cool teleporting thing to more or less bypass a series of vertical poles before launching her Gambol Shroud at the top of the huge wall in front of her. _Oh! We can use our weapons? _I began planning out whole new paths, implementing Crescent Rose into my plans.

I stopped watching everyone running the course, busy planning my route. I wanted to show people that I could do my best. This was my chance to show people that I _can _give my team someone to follow.


	4. Chapter 4: To Prove Yourself

**Ruby**

"Ruby!" Weiss hissed in my ear, shaking my shoulder. I looked around, confused. Everyone was looking at me; Cardin was standing in the crowd sniggering at me with his team. I blushed slightly, then my blush deepened when I realised Weiss' hand was still on my shoulder. Weiss jerked her hand away an instant later. She crossed her arms and looked away, tapping her foot impatiently. My breath caught, was she mad at me again?

"It's your turn, you dunce." she said. I hurried off to the starting point, grabbing Crescent Rose off the weapons rack on the way. My mind was reeling, what had just happened? Why was I freaking out over her touching me? _Why_ was she mad at me again?

I glanced back at Weiss as I reached the starting line, expecting to see her glaring at me like she had yesterday. Instead, she was offering me an encouraging smile. When our eyes met, her smile widened slightly and she showed me a thumbs-up. I grinned at her, my doubts gone. I turned to face my next opponent, the obstacle course.

I focused my attention and my aura, pushing all thoughts of Weiss out of my mind. At the sound of the whistle I took off from the line, firing Crescent Rose for some rapid acceleration. I held Crescent Rose out behind me as I wove my way through the first obstacle, a long forest of vertical wooden poles. I jumped off the side one of the poles, gathering enough height to hang in the air above the rest. I flipped around in the air, swinging Crescent Rose above me. I landed lightly on top of the poles and began running across the top of them, using my speed to its fullest extent.

As I reached the end of the first obstacle, I leapt over the lake of mud that followed, using the speed I already had to clear the gap. I fired a couple of times as I sailed through the air, using the recoil to clear the huge wall I'd seen Blake climbing. I sailed over the wall, missing it by mere inches.

I landed on the ground with a loud thump, and began sprinting at the next obstacle: a low tunnel, the roof of which was maybe half a metre off the ground. I didn't hesitate, running at it at full-speed. As I approached the tunnel I dropped to the ground, using the momentum I already had to slide into the barely-big-enough opening. I folded Crescent Rose as my feet slid into the hole, holding its retracted form straight out behind my head, parallel with my body and the ground. I fired once as I slid into darkness, using that added momentum to slide the length of the tunnel.

As I emerged into the light I lifted my feet up, turning my forward momentum into a backflip, and landed on my feet before taking off running once more. The next obstacle looked more intimidating, two vertical walls about four metres apart that jutted out of a wooden tower. I needed to use those walls somehow to get to the top of the tower, ten metres off the ground. Without slowing I leapt at the left wall, running horizontally along it before leaping at the opposite wall, re-extending Crescent Rose. I fired downwards, gaining more upwards momentum, and jumped off the wall as I struck it, gaining more height. I landed on top of the wall on the left hand side, and used another shot from Crescent Rose to launch myself onto the tower.

From there, all that was left was to make my way back down to the ground and ring the bell at the finish line. I leapt from the top of the tower, firing once to launch myself higher. I glided through the air, sailing towards the finish line. As I began to fall, I flipped through the air, aiming Crescent Rose in front of me, firing a couple of times to slow my descent and landed safely on the finish line. I yanked on the bell rope next to my head, stopping the clock and ending my run.

A round of applause broke out as I straightened, holstering Crescent Rose at my waist. I looked back at the group of students watching and saw almost all of them clapping enthusiastically, Yang was whistling loudly. I grinned as I approached them. I put Crescent Rose back on the weapons rack before making my way into the crowd of students back to my team. I smiled my thanks at the people clapping me on the back as I passed; I blushed slightly at the amazed words of praise. When I found my team Yang grinned widely before encircling me in one of her bear hugs. I hit her on the back as I struggled to breathe, seeing black spots swimming in my vision. I gasped for breath as she let me go, somehow finding it in me to smile back at her grin. Blake nodded and smiled at me in congratulations, I grinned back before turning to Weiss.

Weiss was staring at me, with her mouth hanging slightly open, a flush of pink in her cheeks. She shook her head as if to clear it and held out her hand.  
"Excellent job Ruby," she said. I grinned as I shook her hand. "That was an excellent time." I looked around, realising I still didn't know what my time actually was. Mr Boarbatusk was standing apart from the crowd, holding his stopwatch, staring at the display. He turned to me as everyone quietened down.

"I… Uh…" He seemed lost for words as he looked from me to the watch face and back. "Well done Miss Rose, you completed the course in fifteen seconds; a new Academy record." I looked at him in shock. _Fifteen seconds? _"The previous record, held for all of five minutes by Miss Belladonna was twenty. That was an excellent display Miss Rose, simply excellent." I turned to look at Blake, expecting some hint of jealousy from her, wanting to find a way to make it up to her. But she smiled, showing no hint jealousy or anger, simply congratulating me.

_Doing your best, Ruby; giving your team someone to follow._ My chest swelled with pride. _I can do this! _The crowd was turning back to face the obstacle course and I realised that Weiss was making her way towards the starting line. I edged my way to the front of the crowd, eager to watch her turn at the course.

She stood on the line in her fencing pose, with Myrtenaster held out in front of her. When the whistle blew, she swung her rapier around, gliding down the course at high speed. As she reached the vertical poles she swung Myrtenaster once more, creating two rows of vertical glyphs, one on either side of the poles. She began ricocheting between the glyphs, weaving through the poles with apparent ease.

She summoned another glyph on the ground at the base of the wall, which launched her up, twisting through the air and arcing over the top of the wall. She fell to the ground on the other side with all the grace and beauty of a falling snowflake before taking off towards the tunnel.

From what I could see, it looked like Weiss created a line of glyphs along the ground in the tunnel, using those to slide through the gap, coming out the other side with not even a dirt stain on her skirt. She created a glyph on either of the vertical walls, using one to launch up to the other and using that to launch into the air above them. She flipped in the air to orient herself before casting another glyph at her feet to send of sailing onto the roof of the tower.

She twisted in the air like a dancer, flying over the tower, bypassing it completely and continuing to fall straight to the ground, slowing herself down with her glyphs. She rolled forwards with her remaining momentum, ringing the bell rope with her right hand as she assumed her fencer's pose once more. As she turned towards us, sheathing Myrtenaster, another round of applause broke out. I just gaped at her, stunned. I'd never realised that Weiss could move with such grace and poise, it was beautiful.

She accepted congratulations from the others, smiling at Yang and Blake before she stood before me. I shook my head to clear before clapping a hand to her shoulder.  
"That was amazing Weiss," I said. "If I could move with half the finesse that you do…" I trailed off, not knowing how to finish. She blushed and thanked me for my kind words before turning hurriedly away to hear her time.

_Why does she always turn away from me so suddenly? _I knew she wasn't mad at me, but she still seemed to act like it. It was very confusing. I realised the class was all facing Mr Boarbatusk, looking at him expectantly.  
"Miss Schnee, your time was a _very_ impressive eighteen seconds," he announced. "You can be very proud of that." I was speechless; I could have _sworn_ she had moved faster than me. There was no way I had outpaced her. Weiss turned back to the group, a small smile on her face. When she stood in her previous place, next to me, I tried to say something to her, worried that she was mad at me again.

"Weiss, I-"  
"Stop." she interjected, as if she knew what I was trying to do. "It's fine." She smiled at me to show her sincerity. I inspected her face, searching for a trace of anger, and not finding any.  
"Okay," I said, nodding, a grin breaking out on my face. "You looked very impressive out there."  
"Thank you," she replied, smiling back at me. "You weren't too bad yourself."

I laughed, joy filling me. It seemed that we really were past our fight from yesterday. It seemed like Team RWBY was finally coming together, things were looking up for us.

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry if you didn't, but I promise that if you stick with me, you'll be in for a hell of a ride. I have things planned, and chapters to come, that will be ****_much_**** more exciting. Enough character development, shall we get into some plot?**


	5. Chapter 5: One Peaceful Evening

**Yang**

Weeks passed us by with very little to say of them. We went to classes, we studied. I went out clubbing on occasion, whenever I could sneak out. There was no more drama or fighting amongst Team RWBY, Weiss seemed to have really embraced the fact that Ruby was our leader. She was constantly supporting Ruby, helping her in any way possible. She scolded Ruby on occasion, but it was never in a harsh way, merely correcting a mistake Ruby had made.

I'd spend a few afternoons with her, trying to get to know her better. She seemed to have really come down to earth. She never treated us like we were inferior to her, and if she _was _better than us at something, she was always willing to help us improve. I saw very few traces of her high-and-mighty Schnee Heiress persona from our first couple of days here, and none directed at us. Jaune seemed to be the only person who brought out that side of her. Couldn't really blame her for that one… _Snow Angel?_

Ruby was taking to being our leader like a duck to water. She was working hard in all of our classes, studying until _ridiculous_ hours. She was certainly trying her best to set a good example. I gushed with pride every time I saw her grinding away: I'd never seen her work so hard for anything in her life.

I'd gradually found myself spending more and more of my free time with Blake. We'd study together, we had most of our classes together, and on the weekends we'd wander around the Academy grounds chatting. Well, I chatted, she listened. I still didn't know that much about her, she kept her past very close to her chest. She was more open around me than I saw her with anyone else, which was very flattering, but she only really talked about events that had occurred after we'd started at Beacon.

The more we talked, and the less she gave away, the more interested I was to know about her. I wasn't going to press her into telling me anything about her past, Ruby and I had more reason than most people to understand wanting to leave your past behind you. But I tried to spend as much time with her as I could, just to get to know her.

As the weeks passed by, I felt myself growing attracted to her. It was the first time I'd ever been attracted to a girl, so I kept my feelings to myself. Not to mention she was my partner and throwing any kind of romantic feelings into the mix was liable to mess up the entire dynamic of the team. I was content to spend time with her when I could, and knowing she was more open with me than anyone else gave me hope that someday she might come to feel the same.

* * *

Halfway through our first semester at Beacon, the city of Vale was having an annual holiday, giving us students a lovely three day weekend. We'd decided to wander into the city over the weekend, to see if there were any interesting festivities going on. We were talking excitedly about our weekend off all of Saturday morning as we got ready to go out.

We made our way into Vale in the late afternoon, passing by other Beacon students and Vale citizens who were going to the central square in the commercial district to see the fireworks display planned for the evening. Blake and I stood outside From Dust Til Dawn while Ruby and Weiss went inside. Ruby said she wanted to speak to the shop owner, while Weiss wanted to browse their supplies. We stood in silence for a few minutes, Blake patiently waiting, while I took the opportunity to inspect the crowd of boys coming down the street. I might be attracted to Blake, but we weren't dating, and what was the harm in looking? I caught a wink from one of them, returning it with a grin. I lost interest in waiting quickly once they'd moved on.

"Is there anything in particular you're looking forward to seeing?" I asked Blake, bored.  
"Not really," she replied, her eyes wandering up and down the street. "I don't really know anything about this holiday."  
"Well I suppose I've never really paid much attention to what it's about, I'm just grateful for the day off. Ruby and I used to come into the city with our uncle Qrow every year from Signal. We'd spend hours just wandering around the city, seeing the sights, trying all the food. Oh! There's a stall here every year that sells takoyaki that's just _amazing!_" I knew I was rambling, but I had to give Blake more to respond to in order to get a conversation flowing. Strangely though, Blake didn't seem to be paying attention, she was still inspecting the street in front of us.

"Hey, Blake, what's up? Cat got your tongue?" I waved a hand in front of her eyes, trying to snap her out of whatever world she'd drifted off to. She blinked suddenly and shook her head.  
"Sorry, what?"  
"Are you okay, what's wrong?" I put a hand on her shoulder; I was starting to get concerned.  
"Can you hear anything strange?" she asked, somewhat mysteriously. I strained to listen, searching for anything out of place. All I could hear was the sound of laughing children, the dull murmuring of people talking and hundreds of footsteps on the cobblestone streets.  
"No, I don't hear anything. Why?" Blake seemed to be focussing her attention on a dark alleyway across the street.  
"I can hear growling." She muttered, reaching for her katana.  
"Growling?" I whispered to myself. I peered at the alleyway Blake was staring at, looking for any signs of movement in the darkness.

I turned away from Blake to peer into the Dust shop, looking for Ruby and Weiss. I was planning to grab them and investigate the alleyway, if only to set Blake's mind at ease. But, as I caught sight of them at the counter of the store, a piercing shriek ripped through the air. I whipped back around to face the alleyway just in time to see a woman being dragged by her feet into the mouth of the alley, screaming and flailing her arms about in an attempt to grab any kind of hand hold.

I readied Ember Celica and tensed to dash across the street, but Blake grabbed onto my arm, stopping me from moving. I looked at her, shocked.  
"What're you doing?" I shouted. "We have to save her!"  
Blake cringed at my words, but held onto my arm. The screams were still issuing out of the alleyway, making me fight harder to escape Blake's grip.  
"We don't what that thing is," she said, shaking her head at me. "We can't risk going in alone, we need the others."

I growled at myself, realising she was right. As much as it decreased our odds of saving the woman, we couldn't risk ourselves getting torn up either. I shuddered as I imagined Blake being the one dragged into the shadows, kicking and screaming. I wrenched my arm out of Blake's grip and turned back to the Dust shop.

"Ruby! Weiss!" I yelled as loud as I could. I could see them through the window looking around, confused. They must have heard the screams from inside the shop, but not realised what they were. They both looked at me, focussing. I waved them out of the shop, screaming at them to hurry.

They dashed out of the Dust shop, readying their own weapons as they saw Blake and I with ours.  
"What happened?" Ruby asked. "What's going on?" She had to shout to be heard over the still screaming woman. Her voice was receding further away from us, but she was clearly still alive. I pointed at the alley the woman had disappeared into.  
"A woman was attacked; we need to go see what did it." I replied. Ruby nodded and took the lead as we dashed off towards the alley way. As we reached the mouth of the alley the woman's screams were cut off with a sickening crunch.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, things are definitely beginning to happen now. Feel free to drop me any reviews, I really appreciate any input you may have: comments on writing style, character/plot development, grammar/ language or just general ego stroking. I appreciate all of it.


	6. Chapter 6: The Hunt Begins

**Blake**

We dashed into the dark alleyway with our weapons drawn, the metallic scent of blood hanging in the air. The tall brick buildings blocked the light of the setting sun, leaving the alley in darkness. I peered around as we ran, inspecting the scene. We ran until we reached a point where the alley split into two, one going left, the other going right. We stopped, looking down both paths, straining to hear any signs of movement down them. The woman's screams had stopped only moments ago, but we still had no idea which way they were going.

"I can't see a thing," Yang said, frustrated. Weiss and Ruby muttered in agreement as they began feeling around, searching for any signs that could tell us which way they went. I couldn't tell them that I could still see; not perfectly, but it was a lot better than being blind. I peered at the walls and the ground for a few seconds before I spotted what I'd been looking for.

"Blood trail!" I exclaimed. "This way." We hurriedly made our way down the left hand path. I kept my eyes on the trail I'd found, following around corners and into side streets as we made our way through Vale. There were no other people around these smaller streets; everyone else was on the main roads, going to the festivities. This certainly made tracking the woman's attacker a lot easier, with no one around to get in the way.

I was so focussed on following the trail of blood that I didn't see Yang stop running in front of me as we came out of an alley and onto a main street and ploughed into her, sending the two of us sprawling. I jumped up as quickly as I could, pulling Yang to her feet.  
"What're you doing?" I yelled.  
"Look over there." she said, pointing to the side of the street. I turned and saw what had brought everyone to a halt. There was a middle-aged man lying up against the wall of a building, clutching at a large wound in his leg. We ran over to him, Ruby asking what had happened.

His eyelids fluttered as he looked up at us, struggling to focus. He groaned as we approached; a strange blend of pain and relief.  
"I was closing up… my shop…" he said, fighting to get the words out. "…To go to the festival. I sent my sons on ahead… while I finished up here… When I came out I was… attacked… by a large beast."  
"Did you see a woman?" Ruby asked as she knelt down beside him and began tying a bandage to his leg. He nodded, cringing in pain.  
"Yes… I saw the woman… Tried to stop it… To save her…"  
"Did you see where it went?" I turned my back on them as Ruby continued to ask for information. I walked a couple of steps away, retreating from the nauseating scent of blood. I hated that scent and being part cat only made my sense of smell more vulnerable to it.

I looked up and down the empty street, wondering what we were going to do next. We couldn't leave this man here to bleed out, but I didn't want to go after this 'beast' without the full team. Not until we knew what it was. I took a deep breath of fresh air, trying to clear my head. I jumped as I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I spun around to see Yang behind me, smiling reassuringly. I felt my anxiety washing away as I bathed in the light of her smile.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern in her eyes. No pity, no judgement, just genuine care and concern. I found myself smiling back, a small smile; I'd not forgotten the severity of the situation.  
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "What will we do about him?" I brought us back to the business at hand, now was not the time to be relaxing. Yang took her hand off my shoulder, crossing her arms and holding her chin in thought.  
"I don't know," she said. "I know we can't just leave him here, and we don't have time to call anyone to pick him up or the trail will go cold." I nodded in agreement, looking at the light of the setting sun coming over the buildings, colouring the street a dark orange. "I don't like the idea of going after that thing at night either," Yang continued, sighing. "I don't know, we'll figure something out."

"Pa!" a voice screamed. We all swung around, searching for the source of the voice. Two young men, probably Ruby's age, were running towards us.  
"My sons." the man muttered when Ruby looked at him questioningly. The boys passed by us with barely a glance as they rushed to kneel by their father's side.  
"What happened to you Pa?" one of them asked, tears in his eyes. "We waited for you, but you were taking so long, so we came back… Who did this?"  
"More importantly," Weiss stepped in, interrupting the boy. "Can you two get your father to a hospital?" They looked up at her, confused, as if finally realising she was there. They nodded at her, though they didn't seem very confident.

"Okay," Weiss continued. "Well first you have to make sure the bandage on his leg stays tight…" I turned away again as she continued issuing instructions. Ruby came over to join Yang and I as we waited.

"He couldn't make out what it was," she began. "But from his description it sounds like some kind of Grimm, a _big_ one. I don't know how it slipped past the guards on the edge of the city, but I'd at least guess it came from Forever Fall; the place where it attacked first was pretty close to the forest."  
"Do we have any idea where it's heading?" I asked.  
"Well it seems to be heading south east, towards the industrial district."  
"Why would it go there?" Yang asked.  
"I doubt it's been in the city long," Weiss answered, she joined us as the two young men began carrying their father down the street. "It probably doesn't have a set destination in mind, it's just running. It doesn't matter either way; the industrial district is _not_ a good place for that thing to go."  
"It should be pretty empty for the next couple of days though," Yang said. "It's a holiday, there won't be any workers in there."  
"True," Weiss replied. "But we need to find this thing and get rid of it as soon as we can, it could just as easily leave the industrial district and run rampant through the commercial district again. And what if it were to make its way into the _residential _district."  
"So we need to find it before it leaves the industrial district." Ruby said.  
"Exactly, but finding that thing in amongst the factories and warehouses will be difficult. And even if we find which one it's in, those buildings are _immense_. Not to mention how badly this could go wrong if we're in there with it when the sun sets."

"Well," Ruby shouted, swinging out Crescent Rose. "What're we waiting for? We need to find this thing before it can hurt any more people." She grinned at us and took off down the street, her red cape flying out behind her.  
"Ruby!" Weiss called out to her. Ruby stopped and looked back questioningly. "South West is that way." She pointed behind us, away from where Ruby was running. I saw her cheeks turn red as she ran back to us. We all turned as she reached us and took off down the street, racing to hunt down our prey before the sun went down.


	7. Chapter 7: In the Light of Dusk

**Weiss**

The sun hung low in the sky as we made our way into the industrial district of Vale. We had an hour left, two if we were fortunate, before the sun set and our quarry became our pursuer. The trail we'd been following, the trail of blood, had been thinning out as we progressed through the city. We were lucky to spot a drop of it on each street we followed. Only Blake's uncanny eyesight kept us on the trail.

Our one piece of good luck was that we'd seen no civilians since the injured man and his sons, so hopefully there was no one around that the beast could attack before we found it. I'd long since given up hope for the woman attacked outside the Dust shop. We hadn't seen any remains while following the creature, but I doubt anyone could have clung to life for as long we'd been chasing after down. It stung me to think that a woman had been attacked and killed when I was so close by. Huntresses were supposed to _save_ people like her, those who couldn't defend themselves.

I grew more determined as we wandered through a labyrinth of warehouses and factories; if I couldn't save that poor woman, then I _would _avenge her. Despite my determination, a sliver of fear was creeping into my heart. My anxiety grew with the shadows. Once the sun set the beast would have every advantage.

Blake stopped us before a large factory, two stories tall and at least two hundred metres long. She had been leading our team for a while, searching for the trail. She pointed out a puddle of blood on the doorstep of the factory; clearly the beast had come in here. And it was still carrying the woman.

"It's close by." said Blake, her voice a cold whisper; she was just as determined as I was to find this fiend.  
"How can you tell?" asked Yang, her voice sounding just as determined as Blake's.  
"The blood's fresh," Blake answered, shuddering slightly at her own words. "It hasn't started drying." I could see that she was right, even in the dying light. Blake backed away from the doorway into the middle of the street, taking deep breaths. I turned to Ruby as Yang stepped after Blake. Ruby was examining the façade of the factory thoughtfully, looking the part of a confident leader. But I could see her hands shaking.

"So what's our plan?" I asked her. She looked at me, unease clearly showing in her eyes. "We only have half an hour or so left. The inside of the factory will go dark before the sun sets; the other buildings will block the light."  
"I know," Ruby said. "We need to take this thing down quickly. But this building is huge, we could easily run out of time if it's hiding in there."  
"So there's no time for dilly dallying," I pronounced, gesturing for Yang and Blake to join us. "We need to make our way in now, so we have as much time as we can get." Everyone nodded: it was the only plan that made sense.

"Okay," Ruby began, setting her shoulders. "Yang, Blake, you two go around the back. Weiss and I will head in the front. We need at least one person per pair that's good at tight, close range combat. My scythe will just start wrecking the factory and Blake's ribbon will get tangled in the machines. So Yang, Weiss, you're our vanguards. Blake, use your katana if you get into combat, but otherwise, leave it to Yang." Despite the danger we were about to face, I had to admire how well Ruby handled the situation; she was definitely becoming a good leader. Yang and Blake quickly made their way down the side of the factory while Ruby and I prepared ourselves to breach the front entrance.  
"Should we wait til they get to the back door?" I asked. Ruby nodded.  
"Give them til a count of fifteen, that'll bring them close enough."

I began counting slowly in my head. _One… Two… Three… _I readied myself; we had no idea what was going to happen on the other side of this door. _Six… Seven… _I took several deep breaths, trying to steady my nerves. I couldn't risk a mistake in here. _Nine… Ten… Eleven… _I took a step away from the door, focussing on it. I rotated Myrtenaster's cylinder to load a chamber of Burn Dust. _Fourteen… Fifteen! _Ruby nodded at me, holding her retracted sniper rifle at the ready. I conjured a glyph at me feet, propelling myself at the door. I hit it feet first, smashing it open. I slid across the floor for a metre or two before coming to stop, ready for anything to leap at me. But all I saw was an empty factory, machines off. All I heard was silence.

I cast my eyes around the room, focussing my peripherals to search for any sign of movement. I heard Ruby step up behind me and began moving further into the factory. Shadows were everywhere, cast by the hulking, strangely shaped machines. The blood red light of the setting sun was still shining through the upper windows, the colour only putting me more on edge. I heard a sudden crash from the far end of the factory and spotted Yang rushing in the far door, Blake close behind her.

The shadows lengthened as we made our way around the ground floor, inspecting every corner and studying every shadow. The light was fading from the factory a lot faster than I had anticipated. Half an hour had been an overestimation; we were down to minutes. And with how large this factory was, we'd need to be _very_ lucky to find the beast in that time.

I spun Myrtenaster's cylinder, loading a chamber of Freeze Dust. Ice would be the most effective Dust to use in this scenario. It wouldn't damage any of the machinery, and with the beast frozen in place Yang would be able to finish it off easily. As the chamber clicked into place, I heard a loud clang in the rafters above us. I spun around, scanning the shadows as Ruby began firing in the direction that the sound had come from. I reached out a hand to stop her when I failed to see any signs of the animal. She lowered her rifle slowly, still intently scanning the rafters and upper balconies of the factory.

I released a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding as I lowered Myrtenaster. I tensed as I heard a light footstep behind me. Swinging around as quick as a flash, I raised my rapier, ready to strike. Blake leapt back a step, holding her hands up. Gambol Shroud was held unsheathed in her right hand, its sharpened sheath held in her left. I lowered Myrtenaster, shaking my head at her. She shrugged apologetically. Yang poked her head out from behind Blake and waved at me. I rolled my eyes, turning back to Ruby.

Ruby was staring up at catwalks above us, over at the far end of the factory. I turned back around, following her gaze. I almost dropped Myrtenaster in shock.  
"Is that… a… Beowolf?" I whispered.  
"Not a normal one," Ruby whispered back. "That thing is enormous." And it was. It _really_ was. We'd fought an Alpha Beowolf in the Emerald Forest, but this one was much bigger than that. I could only just make it out in the darkness, but from where we were, it looked like it was almost twice as tall as Yang, the tallest one on the team. White armour plating was all over its back, and covering most of each arm. Penetrating that armour would be impossible, and there weren't many vulnerable spots.

We collectively took a step back as the massive Beowolf began to growl, glaring down at us from its perch. I tightened my grip on Myrtenaster's hilt, snapping myself out of my fear. _You are a Schnee; you have no place being afraid! _

The others readied their weapons, preparing themselves for the battle. _We need to find a way to kill before we lose the last of light. _I glanced around, seeing how much light we had left. What I saw chilled me to the very bone. The Beowolf roared - a loud, terrifying sound - and leapt at us as the last rays of light left the factory, plunging us in darkness.


	8. Chapter 8: An Error in Judgement

**Ruby**

"Move!" I yelled, diving off to my right and dragging Weiss with me. A massive crash sounded just behind where we had had been standing an instant before, the Beowolf had missed us and slammed into the wall. It had covered at least thirty metres in a second or two. Despite its massive size this thing was _incredibly _fast. I heard a growl and dove behind a large piece of machinery, only letting go of Weiss once we were safely behind it.

We both took a second to catch our breath while I wondered how we could beat this thing. My eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness; I could make out the shapes of machines and poles around the room. But seeing the Beowolf in this darkness would be almost impossible. The machine that Weiss and I had our backs against shuddered violently as the Beowolf slammed into the other side of it. We needed to move, and quickly; if it knew we were here then we weren't safe. Weiss gestured at another machine about ten metres away, our approach to it would be covered by the machine we were already behind. I gestured for her to go and peered around the corner, trying to catch any glimpse of Blake or Yang.

As the machine shook again, Weiss grabbed my arm and nearly dragged me to the machine she had pointed out. She flung me into cover, glaring at me as she knelt down next to me. _What the _hell_ were you doing? _Her glare seemed to say. I brought my mouth right next to her ear to whisper to her.  
"We need to find Yang and Blake. We need to lure this thing outside; we can't beat it in here." Weiss nodded as I finished, pulling away from me to peer around our new cover. I scooted over to the other end of the machine to glance out that side.

My heart stopped as I saw a flicker of movement in the darkness a few metres above me. The beast was back in the rafters, sneaking around behind us. Where were Yang and Blake? A cold sweat trickled down my face; if anything had happened to Yang…

The building shook as another massive roar tore through the air from near Weiss. _Near Wiess? So what did I see before? _I glanced back towards where I thought I'd seen the Beowolf just in time to see Blake swing out of the rafters, Gambol Shroud hanging from the ceiling. She back-flipped in the air, freeing her katana and swinging it through the darkness. From the fleshy thud and the loud roar that came an instant later, she must have hit the Beowolf. How had she known where it was? I'd only just noticed _Blake_ moving in the darkness. No one's eyesight would be _that_ good.

Maybe she'd gotten lucky, because she'd definitely hit the thing. I dashed over to grab Weiss, hoping she was alright. We met halfway: she was on her way to me as well.  
"Was that Blake?" she hissed.  
"Yeah. Come on, we've got to find Yang."  
We hurried back to where Blake had attacked from, hoping Yang was there. We leapt into the rafters and onto one of the catwalks as Blake came sailing through the air towards us. She landed lithely next to us as we started looking around for Yang.

"I haven't seen Yang," she whispered. "We split up. I didn't want to risk calling out for her." I sighed, fear edging its way back. Where was she? I peered into the darkness for a few seconds, searching for any flash of gold… Nothing. Until we found her, I'd just have to hope she was okay; I'd never find her in here, not with the Beowolf in here as well.

"Okay," I whispered, edging as close to Blake and Weiss as I could. "We need to lure this thing outside. We can't fight it in here." They both nodded silently, they knew fighting it inside the factory would be a death trap for us. "Weiss and I will lure it over to the other end and try and bring it out. Blake, you stay here in case it doesn't wanna leave, try and drive it the rest of the way out. Look for Yang if you get the chance." Blake nodded, grabbed the railing of the catwalk and squatted down, peering through the darkness.

Weiss and I began creeping up the catwalk towards the far end of the factory. We could still hear the odd growl or snort from the Beowolf on the ground below us. As we got near the doors to the outside, we vaulted over the railing, landing on the ground as quietly as possible. The grumblings of the Beowolf stopped suddenly, it had heard us. Weiss and I opened the back doors of the factory, letting in enough rays of moonlight to illuminate the area around us. Not much, but we'd get at least a second or two's warning before the Beowolf hit us. I peered into the darkness, the moonlight messing up my night vision. I couldn't see beyond the half-circle of light shining in through the doors. Thankfully the moon was rising on just the right angle for us; it was shining brightly through a gap between the buildings behind us.

"Ruby!" Weiss yelled. I glanced at her just in time to see the Beowolf lunge out of the darkness at her, claws flashing in the moonlight. Weiss made a glyph in front of us, blocking the Beowolf as she flipped backwards away from it, cartwheeling off her free hand and sailing out the door. I aimed at the Beowolf as the glyph vanished and began firing at it, stepping backwards as I shot it. It roared at as us and lunged through the door, swinging it claws blindingly fast. I barely managed to get Crescent Rose up in time to block the razors that flashed toward me.

"Shut the doors!" I yelled at Weiss, locking with the Beowolf, holding it in place. As she dashed around to the doors, the wolf glanced at her and disengaged with me, lunging at Weiss. "Weiss!" I made to dash after the Beowolf, but it was too fast. Weiss turned at the sound of my voice, a look of horror showing on her face as she threw herself away from the door, avoiding the flying monster. It skidded along the ground, coming to a stop just in front of the door, growling at us.

It suddenly stopped growling as its ears perked up. It turned its head to look back into the darkness of the factory.  
"No…" I whispered to myself. I swung Crescent Rose around and began firing at the monster, but instead of attacking us as I'd hoped, it turned and leapt back into the factory. "Blake! Yang!" I screamed. "It's back inside!" With the shrieking sound of tearing metal, a ball of flame erupted from the roof of the factory.

Weiss and I glanced at each other, nodding, before leaping onto the roof of the factory. We landed on the roof, the iron sheets flexing under our feet. This was a terrible place to fight the Beowolf if it came up here, the roof would cave in underneath us if we hit too hard on the wrong spot. We spotted a gaping hole in the roof halfway down the factory, a haze of smoke floating out of it.

We gazed into the hole for a few seconds, but nothing came out of it. I knew that Gambol Shroud couldn't have made a hole that big in the roof, so Yang _must _be okay, but why weren't they coming out?

As soon as I finished the thought, Yang sailed out of the hole, her hair aflame. She flew through the night sky like a shooting star, illuminating everything around her. _Why couldn't she have done that inside? _I found myself thinking. It would've been helpful. I couldn't help but feel relief flood through me, Yang was okay. But I knew this fight wasn't over, we had to beat the Beowolf before we'd be safe. _Where's Blake…_

She soared out of the factory after Yang, her katana held in her hand. I sighed in relief, they were _both_ okay. My breath caught as the Beowolf came rocketing out of the hole after Blake, arms swinging. Yang turned in the air, flipping around to face the factory beneath her, just in time to see the Beowolf reach Blake and swing at her.

Its monstrous arm slammed into Blake's side with all the force of a freight train, sending her smashing into one of the brick warehouses next to the factory. She left a dent in the brick wall as she slumped to the ground. She wasn't moving.  
"Blake…" I whispered, too shocked to do anything else. She still hadn't moved, not an inch. My heart was in my throat as I gazed at her. Was she… No. She had to be okay, she had her aura. But with how hard that thing had hit her, would her aura be enough to protect her? She had a mobility type semblance, not a defensive one like Jaune. She _still _wasn't moving. Something was clearly horribly wrong with her, her aura hadn't been enough.

As I took a step toward her, the night erupted in light. Yang was hanging in the air, burning like the sun.  
"Blaaaaaaake!" She shrieked, her hair burning ever brighter, turning white hot. Flames exploded all around her as she rocketed towards the Beowolf, a shooting star flying through the night, bearing all her rage down on the Beowolf. "**BLAAAAAAKE!**"


	9. Chapter 9: I Burn

**Yang**

The world turned white. Wreathed in flames as hot as my rage, I propelled myself toward the twisted monstrosity that _dared_ to harm Blake. _My _Blake! I screamed a war cry as Ember Celica crashed into the belly of the beast before me. I punched the beast, with all the weight of my anger behind it, sending it crashing through the roof of the building below me. I dove after it, stomping down on its back as it tried to pick itself up.

The ground beneath it cracked as it slammed back into the floor again. I back-flipped off it, landed a metre or two away and lunged back inside its guard as it stood. From well inside the reach of its arms I wreaked havoc on the beast's ribcage, feeling bones shattering under the weight of my blows. I sent it into the air with a vicious uppercut, Ember Celica's Gravity Dust shells lending more force to the blow. I flipped forward, using the rotation to kick the beast into a wall, before rolling forward to pummel it into the side of the factory.

It roared in pain as I aimed my blows below its ribcage, at its soft organs. Reflexively, it lashed out, swinging claws at my head. I ducked under them and flipped backwards, using the lull to load a new set of shells into my gauntlets. As I cocked Ember Celica, the beast lunged at me, claws poised to strike at my throat. I ducked under the blow, grabbing one of its arms and using its own momentum to fling it into a massive machine behind me.

It crashed into the machine, smashing it almost in half, sparks flying as the electronics were torn apart. It leapt at me, aiming for my throat once more, but I dove forward, rolling under the blow. I came up, turning, aiming. I fired several rounds at it while it turned to lunge again. This time I dodged over the blow, slamming my fist back down onto the top of its head as I came down. The armour on its skull deflected most of the force, but it drove the beast to its knees.

I used the opportunity to punch the Beowolf in the jaw, aiming to break it. It'd be one less weapon to worry about. But the monster wrapped its hands around me, pulling me away from its head and hoisting me into the air. I struggled in its grip, my arms pinned to my sides. I tried to force its hands apart, pushing outwards with all my strength. When that failed, I focussed my aura; the flames around me illuminating the beast's face more, showing its gaping maw coming towards me. My flames erupted in a massive explosion, blasting it away from me.

It recovered quickly and leapt at me. I cartwheeled out of the way, circling around behind it as it charged. I fired a few shots at its back, looking for the gaps in its armour. It spun around, enraged, roaring a ground shaking challenge. I screamed back, burning fury roaring from my mouth. We charged at each other, meeting in the middle of the factory, the moonlight shining down on us from the hole I'd made earlier.

It blocked my punches while I dodged its swipes, a life-or-death boxing match under the spotlight. The white sheen over the world began to flicker as I tired, my aura was running out. The beast landed a solid blow, I managed to block it, but it still sent me through the air, slamming into a machine behind me. I dragged myself to my feet. Gritting my teeth, I forced the last of my aura outwards, the white sheen stabilizing. The beast hesitated, sensing my new determination. I used its break in concentration to slip inside its guard, pummelling its body once more.

The beast howled in pain as it tried to grab me, but I ducked under its arms, spinning to its side. I used the opportunity to deliver a bone shattering blow to its upper arm. The arm hung limply as it howled again, swinging its remaining good arm at me. One arm was easy to dodge. I ducked under it, sending a few more punches rocketing into the beast's gut before flipping backwards, out of its reach.

My flames illuminated the interior of the building. I could clearly see the beast as it caught its breath, glaring at me. The arm I'd broken was immobile, hanging by its side; its chest had all but caved in, my blows grinding its ribs to dust; even some of its armour plating had begun to crack, chips of it falling to the floor. I grinned at the sight: this fight wouldn't last much longer. That was a good thing, I was running on empty. The only thing keeping me going was my anger that this _thing _had hurt Blake. The thought reignited my fury, adrenaline rushing through my veins.

I punched my fists together, flames erupting up from my hair, as I advanced on the monster that stood, barely, before me. It roared at me, once again I screamed back, drowning it out. It dove at me, swinging wildly with its good arm. I jumped upwards, flipping over it. I brought my foot down on the armour plating on its head, cracking it even further. It slid along the ground, slamming into the machine it had sent me crashing into moments before. I turned to face it as it struggled to get back up.

It dragged itself back to its feet as I approached. I slugged it in the jaw as it turned towards me, feeling bones snap. It whimpered as it fell back to the ground, beginning to curl up in a ball on the ground. My flames flashed brighter again, as I elated in my victory. _Now you know,_ no one _hurts Blake! _I thought as I readied Ember Celica for the final blow. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of movement as something leapt into the factory through the hole in the roof.

"Yang!" Ruby called out as she landed. I felt my flames flicker, fading, as I saw my little sister. My anger waned as she rushed towards me. With a roar, the Beowolf seized the opportunity of my hesitation and lashed out, its arm slamming into the side of my head, sending me sailing into a wall. I slumped to the ground, dazed, lifting my arms to deflect the blows that would follow. But none came. I looked around, confused; but everything was a blurry haze and I couldn't make anything out. My flames had died down completely now, only the moonlight was illuminating the room.

I shook my head, trying to clear it, as I heard the sounds of gunshots and swiping claws. My vision cleared slowly, everything gradually coming into focus. Directly in the shaft of moonlight, Ruby was battling the wounded Beowolf, flashing back and forth all around it, cutting at it with Crescent Rose. I tried to pick myself up, to help her, but I slipped back to the ground as my head swam. My vision blurred again, dizziness making my head spin.

I worked to clear my vision again, wanting,_ needing_, to help Ruby. Gradually, everything focussed again. I looked up just in time to see the Beowolf swing its arm, Ruby was leaping through the air. Everything seemed to slow down as I watched the arm collide with Ruby's side and saw her soar through the air before slamming into a pole, sliding to the ground.

In an instant, my head cleared, my flames returned and everything went white once more. Not only had this monster hurt Blake, but now it dared to even _touch _Ruby. _Ruby!  
_"No one…" I began quietly, voice growing louder with each word. "Hurts. My. Little. **SISTER!**" I screamed at the beast as I launched myself across the room. The world around me blurred as I blazed across the room, slamming into the beast. The bones in its remaining arm shattered as I broke through its guard and began pummelling it once more. It slowly slumped to its knees as I barraged its body with punches strong enough to liquefy everything within its thick hide.

I lost myself to the rage, continuing to barrage the monster before me with a flurry of vicious blows. It whimpered with every punch, light leaving its eyes. I didn't care. I wanted to _destroy_ it! The flames around me grew ever brighter as I punched, blood beginning to fly. Ember Celica was empty, but I wasn't going to stop to reload, I just kept punching. As it fell forward I swung my left hand at its head, finally shattering the armour plating on its head. My right hand swung, with the weight of all my fury and hatred behind it, thundering into the side of its head. The force of the blow snapped its head to the left, breaking its neck with a loud crack. The light in its eyes died and it flew a few paces to the left before falling to the ground and lying still.

I heard Ruby's voice, a tiny buzz in the back of my head, as I swayed on the spot. Fatigue was filling me as adrenaline left. My flames died, the factory turned dark. My vision blurred once more as I tried to steady myself. I fell to one knee, clutching a hand to my stomach, I suddenly felt like throwing up. I heard Ruby calling my name as I slumped over, falling to the ground. I could just make out her face in front of my eyes, I could see her mouth moving, but couldn't hear her anymore. She looked worried. _Who's she worried about? I won. _I thought as everything faded to black.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I hope it makes up for some of the teasing I've put you through in the last few chapters, I thought it was pretty badass. I'd _really_ like some feedback on this one, cause it's the first time I've ever written an action scene. So any tips, issues, improvements I'd appreciate. Even just a short one to let me know I did alright with it, I'd **really** appreciate it guys. Thanks for reading this far!


	10. Chapter 10: The Aftermath

**Ruby**

"Yang! Yang!" I cried out my sister's name, tears running down my cheeks. There was no response, she wasn't waking up. I couldn't help being terrified, seeing her fall limp like that. She looked awful: battered, bruised and bleeding. She must have used up all of her aura in that fight, the Beowolf had _really_ injured her. But it wasn't looking any better. Its body was lying to one side of the factory, arms jutting out at the wrong angles and blood matting its fur.

The Beowolf had certainly made a mistake when it went after Blake. I was surprised that it had made Yang as angry as it had. Not that she shouldn't have cared, seeing Blake get hurt like that had made me angry too; but I was surprised that it had made her _that_ angry; I'd only ever seen her flames turn white-hot a couple of times in my life, now I'd seen it twice in one night.

I held my ear to Yang's chest, listening for a heartbeat. I heard it thumping gently, not a weak heartbeat, just resting. She must have just worn herself out. I breathed a sigh of relief. I could just make out a faint movement in her chest, she was breathing. I sat down on the ground next to her, laying a hand on her arm. I gazed upwards, through the hole in the roof of the factory, basking in the silver moonlight. I closed my eyes, breathing in the scent of the night, tainted with the scent of blood.

A dark silhouette passed over the moon, casting a shadow over Yang and me. I opened my eyes as Weiss landed a few metres away.  
"Ruby!" She cried out. "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine Weiss, just a few bruises." I replied without turning, gazing at the broken moon. Weiss stopped mid step as she caught sight of the Beowolf's corpse. She stared at it, looking somewhat shocked.  
"Yang did this?" She muttered, incredulous. I chuckled lightly, rolling my neck to look at her.  
"Yeah, turns out I didn't really help much." I smiled as Weiss shook her head, looking impressed. "I probably just got in the way." I spun myself around to face her, standing up.  
"Is she okay?" she asked, turning a concerned look to Yang's still figure. I nodded.  
"Yeah, I think she just wore herself out. She's breathing fine." I shared a smile with Weiss before turning serious. "How's Blake?" Weiss' smile faded as well, a worried frown taking its place.

"She's alive," she began. "But she's in desperate need of medical attention. She more than likely broken several bones, and she hit her head _very _hard. We'll need to get her to a hospital soon."  
"Okay," I replied. "Well we're going to have to carry her and Yang: I don't think she'll wake up anytime soon either."  
"Can you carry Yang?"  
"I'll make do; we can swap halfway if we need to."

Weiss helped me get Yang out of the factory, carrying her gently out the back door. As we reached Blake, I hoisted Yang up on to my shoulders. I waited for Weiss to do the same for Blake before we began to make our way to the nearest hospital.

* * *

We sat in the waiting room in a hospital on the southern edge of the commercial district, waiting for any news of Blake and Yang. We sat in silence, the memory of the giant Beowolf still vivid in our minds. Once the adrenaline had worn off, I began to feel exhausted. I sat next to Weiss, my head dropping as I nodded off before snapping back up as I jerked myself awake.

After several minutes of me almost falling asleep before waking myself up, Weiss got to her feet. "I'm going to get a coffee; would you like one?" she asked. I looked up at her groggily, nodding. I shook my head, trying to clear some of the fog in my mind. "Cream and five sugars?" she asked, smiling lightly.  
"Yes please." I replied, smiling back at her. She wandered off toward to coffee machine across the room.

I hung my head, resting my arm on my knees. I couldn't stop myself form worrying, I hoped Yang and Blake were okay. I began to imagine various scenarios involving a nurse with bad news.

_"I'm very sorry Miss Rose, I'm afraid Miss Belladonna didn't make it. She passed away moments ago."  
"I'm very sorry, but Miss Xiao Long is comatose, we can't do anything to wake her. We don't know if she ever will."  
"I'm very sorry…"  
"Miss Rose…"  
"Passed away…"  
"Never walk again…"  
"No memory of her past…"  
"Ruby!"  
"Irreversibly blind…"  
"Loss of short term memory…"  
"Ruby!"  
"Nothing we could do…"  
"If she'd gotten here sooner…"  
_"**RUBY!**"

I snapped awake as Weiss shook my shoulder, calling my name. I jerked up, looking around wildly. Weiss shook her head at me.  
"Honestly…" she muttered under her breath. "Here." She held out a steaming cup of coffee, the scent filling my nose. I took the cup, thanking her; it warmed my hands up straight away. I sighed as I sipped at it, trying to quell my nerves. Weiss rested a hand on my shoulder, the touch of her hand both soothing me and setting off that same anxiety I felt every time we touched. I smiled up at her, glad that she was here with me.

I looked up at the sound of footsteps; a nurse was walking down the hall towards us. Weiss and I stood as he approached. I gulped down another sip of coffee, my nervousness coming back.  
"How are they?" I asked. The nurse held up his hands, motioning for me to calm down.  
"Miss Xiao Long woke up, and was speaking. But you were right, she was very exhausted, so she's gone back to sleep now." I heaved a sigh of relief at his words. _Yang's okay…_ "But," he continued. "We're going to keep her here for the night, and probably tomorrow; she's suffered from a concussion and needs to had some fractured bones in her hands, but those should heal up in no time. Her aura's accelerated healing should take care of them." Concern shot through me, I hadn't noticed that. I'd thought she was just exhausted. "She'll be fine," he said, noticing my concern. "She just needs to get some good rest, no physical activity, for a while. We'll keep her here for now, but she'll probably be discharged by tomorrow afternoon." I smiled with relief for a second, allowing myself to rejoice in the news that Yang would be okay.

"What about Blake?" I asked, turning serious again. My heart leapt to my throat as the nurse frowned. "Miss Belladonna will live, and she's receiving treatment now. But we don't know what kind of condition she'll be in when she wakes up. Her injuries are very different from Miss Xiao Long's. Miss Xiao Long was injured because she'd used up most of her aura, she was naturally vulnerable. Miss Belladonna's injuries broke _through_ her aura. It happens sometime if someone is struck _incredibly _hard by surprise, and they don't have time to bolster their aura. I'm sure you know, but your aura provides a shield for you at all times, growing stronger when you focus it. The monster that attacked Miss Belladonna broke straight through that passive shield. This can lead to what we call 'aura shock'."  
"Aura shock?" Weiss asked. "I've never heard of it." The nurse nodded.  
"It's not a very common condition, it's not very often that a Hunter or Huntress gets caught by surprise by something strong enough the break that passive shield," He answered. "It's also a fairly recent discovery. We've only seen three or four cases of it. So methods of treatment for it are still being discovered, we really don't know that much about it."  
"But you said she'll live right?" I asked.  
"Now that we've stabilized her, she will. But it's not surviving aura shock that's the issue. If you survive the blow, you'll live. Aura shock won't kill you. It just takes a while to recover from it. But half of the cases we've seen have resulted in the patient not being able to access their aura at all once they woke up. They don't lose it, no one can lose their soul, but they can never manifest their aura again."

My jaw dropped at his words. No aura? That'd mean Blake would never be able to be a Huntress, she'd have to leave Beacon, she'd have to leave _us_! I looked at Weiss, fear written plainly on my face. Weiss was looking at her nurse, composed and with a cool air of control. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.  
"So she's just as likely to wake up with no adverse effects?" Weiss asked.  
"Yes," the nurse replied. "As far as we know, she has a more or less fifty-fifty chance of going either way; we still don't know what causes a patient to go one way or the other. We think it's got something to do with how strong the patient's aura is, or how adept they are at controlling it. We're not sure if it's a physical or mental ailment, so we can't be sure which of the two is the deciding factor."  
"So when is she expected to recover?"  
"We'll keep her here for a week or so, we'll do what we can for her. She should wake up in a few days, all patients have seemed to remain unconscious for up to five days."  
"Is there any correlation between time spent unconscious and likelihood of recovering her aura?"  
"There doesn't appear to be, no."  
"Well thank you very much sir, we'll get out of your way."  
"Sure thing, I'm sorry we couldn't give you better news. For what it's worth, we'll send you a message an hour before we discharge Miss Xiao Long, so you can come and pick her up." The nurse said, smiling kindly at us.  
"Thank you very much, I'd appreciate that." I replied, smiling back.

I was feeling confident that Blake would be okay, that put me more at ease. Whether it was strength of aura or control over it, she'd be fine: she had both of those. I was smiling as Weiss and I left the hospital and made our way back to Beacon, the moon shining down on us. I was still worried about Blake, but at least she had hope, she could pull through. As we made it back to Beacon, reaching the top of the cliff on which the school was built, fireworks began going off above Vale. Weiss and I stood side by side, shoulders touching, watching the vibrant colours fill the peaceful night sky. Despite my earlier confidence, I couldn't help but feel a nagging doubt in the back of my mind. _Would Blake really be okay?_


	11. Chapter 11: Melting Snow

**Weiss**

A deafening silence filled our dormitory as I awoke. _Ruby must still be asleep. _I found myself peering over at the other side of the room, looking at Yang and Blake's empty beds. It was certainly strange to wake up to no sound at all. Normally Ruby was the first one up, and even if she wasn't causing a ruckus Yang's snoring was an ever present source of deafness. I sat up on my bed, stretching my arms as I yawned.

I pulled myself up and out of bed, gathering my things and wandering into the shower. I peered out the window as I made my way past it; the sun was hanging high in a nearly cloudless sky. _It must be past noon, _I thought, _well at least the showers will be empty. _I looked back at Ruby's bed as I was at the door, but she wasn't in it. I glanced up and down the hallway, confused. I'd thought she'd have needed more rest than me, and where would she go without waking me up?

I shook my head, reassuring myself that she was okay. _She can take care of herself. _I made my way back into the room, to the bathroom, wondering if she was in here. But I couldn't hear any of the showers running, and sure enough, when I walked in, no one was there. I chewed my lip in thought, _Should I go and look for her? _I shrugged. She couldn't have gone too far.

I chose one of the stalls at random and walked in, putting my toiletries bag on a shelf and began removing my pyjamas. I let out a sigh of pleasure as I felt the hot water hit my back. Steam rose around me, filling the cubicle. I closed my eyes as I held my face up to the shower head, letting the water run down my body and through my hair. I sighed again, holding myself up with a hand to the wall. I hung my head and parted my hair, pulling it over my shoulders, letting the water hit the back of my neck.

I heard the door creak, and looked up, listening. Was someone coming in? Maybe Ruby had made her way here?  
"Ruby? Is that you?" I called out. But no one answered. Even if it wasn't Ruby, whoever it was would've corrected me. I turned around, confused, and stifled a scream.

Ruby was standing in my stall, just in front of me, completely naked.  
"Ruby! What're you doing?" I yelled, covering myself with my hands as best as I could. Ruby didn't respond; she just stood there, swaying gently. As I looked closer at her face, I could see a dark shadow and big bags under her eyes. Her eyes looked dazed; she looked like she was at least three quarters asleep. She mustn't have slept at all last night, to be in this state. I'd seen her pull an all-nighter before, and this was similar what she had looked like the next day. But the fatigue of last night's battle had clearly taken its toll on her: she looked a _lot _more exhausted than the last time she'd stayed up all night.

The news about Blake must have kept her up. She must have been incredibly worried about it, for someone has tired as she was in the hospital to not be able to sleep at all.  
"Ruby? Are you okay?" I asked gently. She stumbled towards me, falling to her knees, tears running down her cheeks. I leapt forward to catch her in my arms before she fell on the ground. She sat on the ground, wrapping her arms around me, as she sobbed. I didn't know what to do. I'd never seen Ruby acting like this. The exhaustion must have really taken its toll on her.

She clung to me, resting her head on my chest. I held her gently, holding her head to my chest. She seemed so vulnerable, in a way that I had never seen. It ignited the fondness that I had been feeling for her over the last few weeks. I wrapped my arms around her tighter. Gradually, I dragged her back into the path of the shower head, the hot water running over both of us.

We sat there for several minutes, Ruby clinging to me like a terrified child. I stretched out my foot to the toiletries bag that had been knocked off the shelf in the earlier commotion and dragged it over to me, not wanting to let go of Ruby to get up and grab it. I let go of her with one arm to reach down and pull out some soap and shampoo. I began washing Ruby's back, arms and legs; I wasn't brazen enough to even _look_ at her front.

Her sobbing subsided as I massaged shampoo into her hair. She sat quietly as I rubbed it into the ends of her locks. I pushed her away from me to let the water fall onto her head, washing the shampoo out. Once it was all washed out, she latched onto me again, holding me tightly. A smile broke out on my face. She really was adorable like this. I wrapped my arms around her again, holding her close. We'd never been this close before, so I relished every second of it.

Her grip loosened as I began to massage conditioner into her hair. I ran my fingers through her hair, from the roots to the tips. Her head tipped back as I massaged it into her scalp. I froze. Our faces were centimetres apart. Her lips parted slightly, her eyes still closed. I found myself closing the gap between us before jerking back. _No! She's only here at all because she's delirious from lack of sleep. I will _not_ take advantage of her like that. _

I kept washing her hair, pointedly ignoring her lips, lips that begged to be kissed. I leant back, washing the conditioner from her hair. As soon as I let go of her head she grabbed me once again, burying her face in the curve where my neck joined my shoulder. I encircled her in my arms, running my fingers through her hair, breathing in her scent. I leant back against the wall of the cubicle, revelling in how close I was to Ruby. My heart swelled with joy as she held me.

Eventually I decided we should leave, she need to sleep at least a couple of hours before we went to pick up Yang. I extracted myself from Ruby's grip, turning off the shower and grabbing my towel to dry myself off. I dressed into my blouse and combat skirt. As I looked outside the cubicle I saw Ruby's pyjamas strewn over the floor. Lucky for us no one was around, that would have certainly raised questions. I gathered them up, thankfully they were still dry. When I entered the cubicle again, Ruby was curled up in a ball on the floor, asleep. I rolled up my sleeves and lifted her off the wet floor, sitting her on the bench near the cubicle door. I towel dried her while she snored lightly. I blushed furiously as I dried her front, still refusing to look at her. Eventually I managed to get her back into her pyjamas and carried her out of the bathroom. I got her back to her bed with relative ease, getting her onto it was another matter. After looking at it for a few seconds, I decided against it and laid her on my bed, pulling the covers over her. I smiled at the peaceful look on her face.

_What will she say when she wakes up? _The thought brought me up short, my smile fading. What _would_ she say? Would she be upset? Angry? Confused? Would she avoid me, berate me or hate me? I felt an icy cold hand wrap around my heart, which was suddenly sitting in my throat. Would she even remember it? I shook my head, telling myself that there was nothing to be done about it until she woke up. I closed the curtain, casting the room in darkness, and quietly exited the dormitory. I'd decided to head to the dining hall to wait. Ruby and I hadn't eaten anything since we'd gotten back from the hospital the night before, and it was past noon now. We'd missed two meals; Ruby would be starving when she woke up, I definitely was. I'd bring something back for her once I had my own meal. I tried, with no success, to swallow my nerves as I made my way down the hall. I couldn't help but worry about how she'd react. But, with no way to put my fears to rest, I pushed them down as best as I could as I turned towards the dining hall, leaving Ruby to sleep peacefully in our dormitory.


	12. Chapter 12: Breaking the News

**Weiss**

I made my way back to the dormitory two hours later. I didn't want to wake Ruby up, but I knew that she'd want to go and see Yang as soon as possible. I opened the curtains with one hand, balancing a sandwich and a bottle of water in the other. Ruby flinched as the room filled with light from the afternoon sun. I smiled to myself as she rolled over, facing the wall. I placed the food and water I had brought for her on the bedside table before placing my hands on my knees and leaning over her.

"Ruby." I called, gently putting my hand on her shoulder. "Ruby, wake up. We need to go and pick up your sister soon." When I got no response I shook her harder. "Ruby!" I called out to her more sternly. All I got was a light groan. Standing up, I sighed with frustration. I put my hands on my hips as I looked down at her. "**Ruby!**" This time I yelled as loud as I could. She fidgeted around a little, but stayed asleep.

_Well now what do I do? _I looked around the room, looking for anyway to wake her up. I gazed at the bottle of water for a while, seriously considering dumping it on her head. Next to the water was Ruby's phone; that caught my attention. I picked it up, navigated into the menu and flicked through her contacts. I scrolled down to the letter 'Y', trying to ignore the other names on the list. Using her phone without asking was rude enough, I didn't want to pry too much.

Eventually I reached Yang's name and hit 'Dial'. I put the phone to my ear, pushing Ruby once more with my foot, just to see if it would make any difference. Needless to say, it had no effect at all. Yang picked up on the third ring.

"Hey Ruby, they said they'd send you a message before they discharged me! No need to call, I've still got an hour or two to wait." She spoke quiet cheerily, she must be recovering quickly. Strong auras were great for accelerated healing, and not many people I'd met had a stronger aura than Yang.  
"Actually Yang, it's me. Weiss."  
"Weiss!" she exclaimed after a brief pause. "Why're you using Ruby's phone? What's wrong? Is she okay? What happened to her?"  
"Relax Yang, Ruby's fine. She just had some trouble sleeping last night, and didn't get to sleep until a couple of hours ago. So she's pretty exhausted, and while I know she really needs some rest after last night, I know she'd be devastated if she wasn't there to pick you up."  
"And, let me guess, she's not waking up?" Yang knew her little sister well.  
"Yes. Exactly," There was a pause on the other end of the line for a few seconds. I heard a resigned sigh before she answered.

"If you go to my bedside table, in the bottom draw, there's an airtight container." I walked over to the bedside table Yang shared with Blake. Hidden at the back of the bottom draw was a large blue container that was filled with chocolate chip cookies.  
"Cookies? Really?" I asked.  
"Yeah, take one out and reseal the box. Make sure it's properly sealed, or the scent will get out and she'll find them. Snap one in half under her nose and then drop it in front of her. If you don't drop it, you're liable to lose fingers."  
"Okay," I replied apprehensively. "Thanks for the tip. I guess we'll see you in an hour or so."  
"See you then." The phone clicked as Yang hung up. I put the phone back on the bedside table as I opened the container. I pulled one of the cookies out, sealed the box and replaced it in the drawer.

I walked over to Ruby and leant over the bed again. I dangled the cookie in front of her nose before snapping it in half and dropping it in front of her face. _I'm going to have to clean crumbs out of my sheets now, _I grumbled to myself. I watched as Ruby's nose twitched. She breathed in deeply, taking in the scent. Her eyes shot open and she jerked her head forward, latching onto the cookie with her teeth. In a flash the entire thing was in her mouth and she was chewing. I looked on in shock as she sat up, looking around chirpily.

Her chewing slowed down as she realised she was in my bed. She looked up at me, meeting my eyes. She dropped her gaze straight away, staring at the bed covers, her cheeks as red as her cape. _Oh no, she remembered, _I thought. What was going to happen? My heart leapt back to my throat; I was terrified, but tried not to show it.  
"Ruby," I said, trying to keep a level voice. "What's the matter?"  
"Nothing," she replied around a mouthful of cookie, she was still blushing furiously and staring at the covers. "I just had a weird dream, that's all."

Relief flooded through me. She thought it had all been a dream. No awkwardness between us, no resentment, all would be well. I restrained myself from letting out a sigh as the tension left my body.  
"Oh," I said, cheering up. "What was it about?" At the very least, I could use this opportunity to tease her without her knowing. I tried to hide the mischievous smile that was spreading across my face, but she still hadn't looked up.  
"Nothing," she said, swallowing her cookie. "It was just really… Weird."  
"Was it a nice dream?" Some apprehension edged its way back as I asked, I don't know what I'd do if she said it was bad. She laughed lightly.  
"It was the best dream I can ever remember having." She looked up at me as she responded. I did my best to hide the shock that was running through me. I felt myself blushing; maybe there was hope for us after all! "But that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you about it!"  
"Fair enough, fair enough," I struggled to make my voice sound normal. "I didn't mean to pry."

I started to regret that she thought it was a dream; if she said it was the best dream she'd ever had, then maybe she'd be okay with it _actually _happening. _Should I tell her? _But having something happen and dreaming about it are two very different things. She might be okay with imagining it, but she might turn shy and close herself off from me if it had actually happened. I couldn't be sure. I wanted to tell her, I wanted to confess. But I didn't want to push her away by doing so. I just couldn't be sure how it would affect our relationship. And, I decided, until I _was_ sure of her feelings, I'd just let it be. Better the status quo than to lose Ruby.

"Now," Ruby began, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Why am I sleeping in your bed?" I racked my brains, trying to come up with something.  
"Uh, well, when I woke up I found you just wandering around. You looked like you were sleep-walking. So I brought you back here and tucked you into my bed rather than try and make you climb up onto yours." It wasn't exactly a lie. It also wasn't exactly true either.  
"Sleep walking?" She asked suspiciously. "I've never done that before." I tried to shrug nonchalantly.  
"Maybe last night had an unconscious effect on you."

As soon as I mentioned the previous night, Ruby's smiled vanished. I mentally kicked myself.  
"Right… Last night." She muttered. I almost reached out to comfort her. "Oh! What time is it? We need to go and get Yang don't we?" I nodded. Almost as if on cue, Ruby's phone vibrated on the bedside table. She snatched it off the table, opening the message. "Wow, speak of the Devil. She's getting out in an hour. We should head to the hospital." I nodded again. I really didn't know what to say.

Ruby leapt out of bed, dashing to get her clothes and get changed. She was strangely full of energy for someone that had only had two hours sleep. I looked on in wonder as she zipped back, dressed and ready to go. I picked up the bottle of water and the sandwich I'd brought her. She gave me her thanks as she tore into the sandwich, leaving the room. I shook my head after her, her exuberance was astonishing. I followed, locking the door behind me.

* * *

We made it to the hospital half an hour before Yang was due to be discharged.  
"She's going through a last minute check-up. She'll be out once they're finished." The receptionist told us. We thanked her and asked where Blake was being treated. Ruby wanted to visit her before we left. Visiting hours were almost over, so once Yang was discharged we'd have to leave, but we could at least visit her before we picked Yang up. After wandering through the hospital wards and getting lost—Ruby was _incredibly _good at that—we made it to Blake's room.

We entered quietly, not wanting to make any noise to disturb her rest. Not that it would have had any effect on her, she was still unconscious. We sat next to her bed, looking at her peacefully resting face. Looking at her now, one would think she was just sleeping, rather than in a shock induced coma; the outcome of which could turn her life, and all of ours, upside down.

Ruby sat near the head of the bed, taking Blake's limp hand in her own and bowing her head.  
"I'm sorry Blake." She said. "I didn't want it turn out like this. I know that's probably a stupid thing to say, but I'm sorry that it turned out like this. I know Huntresses have to be ready to give their lives to protect others, but you're going to live through this. And when you wake up, you might not be able to be a Huntress anymore. I know you're strong Blake, so I believe you can fight through this, but if something goes wrong… I just want you to know that I'm really sorry." I looked at Ruby, tears in my eyes. She'd been blaming herself this entire time. I dashed the tears away as she looked up. I smiled at her, putting a hand on hers. I knew I shouldn't say anything. Ruby had to deal with this by herself. She was the leader of Team RWBY. As much as I'd want to console her and tell her that it wasn't her fault, the welfare of her teammates was ultimately her responsibility. I wasn't going to insult her by trying to take that away from her.

She smiled back at me, dashing away her own tears. We sat in silence for a few minutes longer, watching Blake sleeping peacefully. A bell went off, signalling the end of visiting hours. Ruby led the way out of the ward, back through the hospital to the waiting room. Almost as soon as we sat down, Yang came down the hallway, the nurse we'd talked to last night at her side. She nodded at him repeatedly while he talked to her; probably telling her what not to do while she recovered.

She left the nurse at the reception desk when she signed herself out and came over to us. We got out of our seats as she approached, Ruby ran up to Yang to grab her into a hug. I could see Yang smiling over Ruby's shoulder, she was just as glad to see Ruby as Ruby was to see her. I stood a few metres away, feeling slightly awkward. Eventually they broke apart, walking back to where I was standing.

"I'm glad to see you're okay Yang." I said politely.  
"Thanks Weiss. And thanks for looking after this little red ball of trouble last night." She grinned, patting Ruby on the head. Ruby pouted and glared up at Yang, looking every part the adorable little sister. I raised my hand to my face, covering a giggle.  
"No trouble at all," I said. "Everything was fine." I turned around hurriedly as I felt my cheeks grow warm. "Shall we head back?"  
"Wait," Yang said. "I wanted to visit Blake before we left…"  
"Sorry Yang, visiting hours just ended. We'll have to come back tomorrow." Ruby said. I turned back around. Yang's face was a picture of disappointment.

"Well did they tell you if she'd be okay?" she asked, clearly very concerned. Ruby and I exchanged worried looks. Where would we even begin?  
"The nurses didn't tell you?" Ruby asked her.  
"They said they didn't want to worry me and that I needed to relax. But I don't care, I need to know how she is."  
"Well," Ruby began, her voice thick with trepidation. "She's going to pull through. One of the nurses told us last night that she'll wake up after a few days' rest, maybe a week."  
"But?" Yang could clearly hear that Ruby was hiding something. Her voice sounded too worried for it to be all good news. Tears began welling up in her eyes as she tried to find the words.

"But she's suffering from what they call 'aura shock'." I stepped in. Ruby was going through enough; I wouldn't make her explain it to Yang. "She'll definitely survive, and with enough rest she'll wake up just fine. But she has a fifty-fifty chance of never recovering her aura again." Yang gaped at me in shock. Ruby burst into tears. I had to fight the urge to wrap my arms around her. I stood before Yang, prepared to take whatever would come.  
"W-w-what?" she stuttered. "S-she could _lose _her _aura!_" I put my arms behind my back, straightening myself up.  
"That's right. They don't know that much about it, but as far as they know, having a stronger aura or better control over it will increase your chances of recovering. So, Blake has a better chance than most people." Yang was too shocked to say anything. She slumped into a chair, resting her arms on her knees and hanging her head.

"But…" she muttered. "Then she won't be able to a Huntress. She'll have to leave the team, give up her dreams." Ruby sat next to Yang, tears running down her cheeks. I sat on Ruby's other side, gently rubbing her back.  
"I'm sorry Yang, it's all my fault." Ruby sobbed. Yang's head jerked up, looking at her sister cry. She raised a hand to comfort her, but hesitated. After a second she slowly lowered it, looking at the ground again.  
"It's not all your fault Ruby. She just got caught by surprise. I was sure I'd knocked the thing down before we tried to get out, but it got up faster than we both thought. You might have ordered her to stay, but what went on in that factory was on us. Don't beat yourself up over it." She straightened in her chair, wrapping an arm around Ruby's shoulders. She rested her head on top of Ruby's. "Okay, little sis'? I don't blame you for it, and I'm sure Blake won't either."

Ruby nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. She sniffed, smiling up at Yang.  
"Thanks Yang." She said, returning her elder sister's hug, wrapping both her arms around Yang. After a minute or so, Yang pulled herself out of Ruby's arms.  
"I need to see her." She declared, standing up.  
"You can't Yang," I pointed out. "Visiting hours are over. You'll have to wait until tomorrow." Yang faltered, realising I was right. "Don't cause a fuss," I continued. "I know how badly you want to see her, but just let her rest for now; it's the best thing for her." I relaxed as Yang nodded reluctantly, giving up. She turned to help Ruby to her feet as I stood up.

As a group, we made our way to the door, leaving the hospital—and our last companion—behind. The sun began to set behind us as we made our way back to Beacon, none of us in any mood to go to the festival.


	13. Chapter 13: An Unheard Confession

**Yang**

I was alone in one of Beacon's rooftop gardens, gazing up at the night sky. I sat cross-legged on the ground, resting my elbows on my knees. I couldn't get to sleep. Not for lack of trying, I knew I needed rest; I was still feeling exhaustion from my battle with the Beowolf the night before. Not crippling exhaustion, but I definitely hadn't recovered. But try as I might to sleep, I was too worried about Blake. Seeing her get attacked like that…

It had scared me senseless.

At least now I knew that she would survive. That was good news. But the possibility of her not being able to be a Huntress scared me almost as much as her dying. If the worst were to happen, and she lost the ability to use her aura, then she'd never want to be around me. Seeing me, and the team, even being in Vale, would remind her of what she'd lost. Why would she ever want to see me again when it would only bring her pain?

And I'd never try to make her. I'd convinced myself hours ago, when we first arrived from the hospital, that if she wanted to leave, and never see me again, then I'd let her. As much as it would hurt, it'd be for the best. That was what I kept telling myself.

I hung my head, staring at the ground, my hair swinging about my face like veil. I couldn't cry, not while there was still hope. I'd wanted to break down right there in the hospital; I nearly did. But Ruby beat me to it. I'd all but forgotten she was there once Weiss told me what had happened to Blake. Her outburst had reminded me: I couldn't let my baby sister see me like that.

She looked up to me, so I had to be strong for her. That was the promise I'd made a long time ago. _Be strong for Ruby, never let her down. _Seeing her burst in to tears had stopped my own short. I forced myself to reassure her, to help _her_ through it. I could understand why she'd feel responsible, but it really hadn't been her fault.

_And Blake could still come out of this okay. _That was one of the things that had popped into my head while I was comforting Ruby. And it was true. There was no point in either of us crying while Blake still had a chance to make it through. So I held my tears, even alone. I wasn't going to give up on Blake, not in a million years. I was going to be strong.

I raised my head as I heard the door behind me open. I watched the stars, wondering who it was, but not turning to check. I heard a scrape behind me and turned to see Weiss sitting down beside me.  
"Good evening." She said.  
"Hey."  
"I got Ruby to sleep, eventually. She's still worried about Blake."  
"We all are."

Weiss nodded, turning her gaze to the clear night sky. We sat in silence, watching the stars. A light breeze blew through the garden, sending my hair flitting around my head. I grabbed onto it, pulling it back down before it hit Weiss in the face. I saw a small smile on her face as I turned back.

"How are you Yang?" she asked. I looked at her blankly. Weiss was worried about me? She returned my gaze silently, patiently waiting for an answer. I turned away, looking at the ground again. She didn't ask again, she just sat in silence, waiting. Several minutes passed, still without a word passing between us.

"I'm making do." I replied eventually. There was no response from Weiss, I appreciated that. Words couldn't do anything at this point. All we could do was wait. I glanced at Weiss, who was just watching the stars. I smiled as I looked away. She really wasn't going to talk much.

"That's good." She said after a minute or so. I almost laughed. Maybe she'd just wanted to make me wait for her answer as well.  
"Why are you here Weiss?" I asked, turning myself around to face her.  
"Ruby's not the only one who cares about Blake." She said, shrugging nonchalantly. I blushed slightly at her words.  
"Well… Thanks." I said. She nodded, returning her gaze to the sky. Clearly she considered the matter dealt with. I shook my head, searching for a way to change the subject.

"So what happened while I was away?" I asked her, trying to lighten the mood. The pale skin of Weiss' cheeks turned a bright pink as I asked. That piqued my curiosity, what had happened that would make _Weiss_ blush?  
"Not much. We came back, I went to sleep, Ruby clearly didn't, then I put her to sleep for a while when I woke up."  
"Really?" I asked slyly, raising an eyebrow. "Is that _all_ that happened?" Her blush deepened.  
"Well… No…"  
"Well? Are you going to tell me?" I was intrigued now, Weiss was very flustered. That was something I'd never seen before.

"I uh… Do I have to?" she asked. She was hanging her head now, hiding her face.  
"Yes."  
"Well, when I woke up, I went to have a shower. Ruby hadn't slept all night, and she was sleep-walking; or just wandering around half-asleep. But she uhh… Walked in on me in the shower." I burst out laughing. Weiss was getting so flustered because of _that_? I felt a tear run down my cheek as I laughed.

"Really? That's all? Come on Weiss, if she was half asleep then she probably can't even remember it." I said, trying to bring my laughter under control.  
"Yeah," she replied, still blushing. "She doesn't." I slapped her on the shoulder.  
"Well then you've got nothing to worry about right? Just forget it ever happened; she did." I stood up, turning towards the door. It was getting late; it was about time to turn in. I helped Weiss to her feet. She looked like she was deep in thought. I walked towards the door, rolling my eyes. _You don't have to think that hard about it,_ I thought to myself, _it's not _that _big a deal._ I didn't know that Weiss was so bashful.

"Yeah," she muttered. "Maybe I should just forget it."  
"It's not that big a deal right?" I asked her.  
"I suppose not, not if she forgot it."  
"Exactly!" We crossed the threshold, stepping into the warmth of Beacon Academy.

We made our way to our dorm in silence, Weiss seemed really hung up on Ruby seeing her in the shower. It surely wasn't worth getting _that_ worked up about. It was an accident, and Ruby had forgotten it anyway. I tutted under my breath as we reached the dorm, she was really thinking too much about this.

I opened the door as quietly as I could, trying to avoid waking Ruby. Weiss and I slipped into our pyjamas before crawling into bed. I lay in the darkness, searching for sleep. Despite my self-assurances, and Weiss' little 'pep-talk', the empty space in the bunk beneath me kept me awake for hours.

* * *

I woke up to sunlight creeping its way under my eyelids. I groaned, rolling away from the window, facing the wall.  
"Blake, close the curtains." I whined. I couldn't stand being woken up on a weekend. The light was making my head throb. Why was it hurting so much? I put a hand to my hand, moaning with pain. "Blake, please?" There was no response. I raised my head, looking around the dorm, squinting against the light.

No one else was in the room. That was odd, I thought Blake at least would've woken me up before she went anywhere, or waited for me. I sat up, dragging myself upright.  
"Blake? Ruby?" I called out. I rubbed my eyes, yawning. I hopped out of my bed, jumping down to the floor. Ruby and Weiss were gone, but their beds still looked slept in. They couldn't be far; they'd have made their beds before going out. I turned to look at Blake's bed, and was surprised to see it made, like it hadn't been slept in in days.

_It hasn't been. _Everything came back in a rush: the fight with the Beowolf, Blake's injuries, her coma, her possibly losing aura. I felt myself choking up, but managed to catch myself before I could cry. _Not while there's hope. _I told myself, as I had last night. I sighed, looking for my clothes.

After getting changed I made my way down to the dining hall. As expected, Ruby and Weiss were sitting at a table eating breakfast. Or lunch… I hadn't checked what the time was. None of Team JNPR was with them, so I guess it must be the afternoon. JNPR would all be down at the fair, it was the last day of the holiday after all. _Back to classes tomorrow, _I grumbled, _well, not for me. _I'd been told by the doctor that I couldn't attend classes for at least a week, any mental strain like that would only make my concussion worse. No strenuous physical activity either. This was going to be a boring week…

Ruby and Weiss looked up as I approached, waving at me.  
"Hey Yang," Ruby said. "We thought we'd let you sleep in. You probably need it."  
"Yeah, thanks." I replied, smiling at her. She smiled back before lapsing back into a depressed silence. Blake's condition was clearly still weighing heavily on everyone's minds.

I sat across the table from Ruby, slumping into my chair. Weiss picked at a bowl of salad while Ruby pushed a cookie around on her plate.  
"So what time are we going to go visit Blake?" Ruby asked. I glanced at her, wondering how to say what I'd decided on my way to meet them.  
"Ruby…" I began, searching for the words. "I uh… I was wondering… Would I be able to go alone? For a while. You can come too, but I just… Want to visit her by myself for a little while…" Ruby looked surprised, confused. She flinched suddenly, straightening in her seat. I glanced at Weiss, who hadn't seemed to have moved. But I could tell something had just happened, Weiss was stealthily urging Ruby on.

"Yeah, sure." Ruby answered, smiling comfortingly. "We'll wait here for a bit after you leave. We'll come down later. Is an hour okay?"  
"Uh… Yeah. Thanks sis." I really didn't know what else to say. I knew that it had been a strange request, and I didn't know how she was going to take it. But I hadn't expected her to be this understanding. I smiled my thanks at Weiss as well. I knew she had something to with it. But she merely looked back down at her salad, pointedly ignoring me. I gave Ruby a hug, probably squeezing her a bit too hard, before heading out to see Blake.

* * *

I was in somewhat higher spirits when I reached the hospital. I didn't know how Blake would be coping, or if she'd be awake, but I was looking forward to seeing her. I made my way into the hospital, rushing towards the receptionist's desk. No one was at the desk, so I rung the bell on the counter and stood patiently. After a few seconds I rung the bell again, but no one seemed to be coming. _That's odd. _I glanced around the desk, looking to see if there was anything around to tell me where they went. A "Gone to lunch" sign, anything. But nothing was there.

I noticed a pile of manila folders on the desk. The one on top was labelled "Blake Belladonna – Ward 1-14." _Now I know where she is, _I thought, _but why is her file on top of a pile here? _ButI wasn't going to steal it to check and find out, so I just made my way down the hall towards her room.

I nearly got turned around a couple of times; the hallways in hospitals seemed to be really confusing. But within ten minutes I had arrived outside Blake's door. My anxiety was beginning to grow, draining away all the positivity I'd worked up on my way here. _I don't know if I can do this. _My hand froze on the doorknob, I couldn't move. What if she was awake and didn't want to see me? What if she blamed me? What if seeing her was too painful for _me_?

_Come on Yang, trust in her. She's a strong girl. She'll pull through. You owe her at least this much. _I convinced myself - I _forced_ myself - to open the door, the doorknob turning slowly. After a quarter of a turn, the doorknob stopped. The door was locked. _That's strange. _Why would it be locked? I looked up the hallway and spotted an orderly making his way towards me, eyes on a clipboard in his hands.

"Excuse me!" I called out to him. He looked up, smiling politely.  
"Yes?" he asked.  
"Can you unlock this door for me?"  
"Why?" he asked with a confused expression on his face. "That room's empty." I froze, staring at him silently.  
"What?" I asked. "Isn't this Blake Belladonna's ward?" He smiled apologetically.  
"Not anymore. She was moved out of the hospital this morning." I couldn't believe what I was hearing, Blake was _gone_?  
"Why? Where is she?"  
"I'm afraid I don't know; it was all very hush-hush. I'm very sorry."

I gaped at him, with no idea what to do or say. Blake was gone, and I had no idea where.  
"Do you know anyone who could tell me?" I asked, desperately, grasping at straws.  
"Mmmm-no. I'm very sorry, but Miss Belladonna's departure from the hospital wasn't really explained to anyone as far as I know. I'm sure someone at the top of the chain of command knows why and approved it, but I don't think anyone in this hospital would know."  
"Well could I see whoever would have approved it?"  
"There are several people who have the power to approve such a transition, and I couldn't tell you who because I honestly don't know all of their names. It's never really been an important issue for an orderly."  
"I see…" I said, dropping my head. I had no idea what to do now, where could she be?

I left the hospital dejected and feeling hopeless. I had no idea where Blake could possibly be, and no one seemed to be able to tell me. _I should tell Ruby and Weiss… _Those two would be able to search around the city if they had to; I was struggling to walk to the hospital and back. As I made my way through the streets of Vale, my head began to pound. Maybe walking around in the afternoon sun had been too much. I still hadn't recovered from my concussion after all.

Eventually I made it back to Beacon, stumbling towards the front doors. I saw a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye and swung my head towards it. As I turned, my head began to spin and my vision blurred. I wiped at my eyes in a stupid attempt to clear them as I peered towards the side of the school. It looked like an ambulance was parked near the side entrance and someone was moving a gurney into the back of it. _Was someone hurt? Who's in the infirmary? _I turned away, back towards the door and headed into the cool shade of Beacon's inner halls.

My head swam as I wandered down the hall, towards the infirmary. I really needed to get something, _anything_, to stop my head from splitting in half. I bumped into Ruby and Weiss on my way, they both sounded concerned.  
"Yang? What's going on? Are you okay?" Ruby asked. Every word felt like a nail being driven into my skull. I held a hand, stopping her flow of questions.  
"Headache. Going to infirmary. Stop talking."  
"Do you want-"  
"_Stop_ talking."

Ruby closed her mouth, pouting slightly. I forced a smile onto my face as I pushed past them. When they made to follow me I waved them off, signalling that I was capable of going alone. Ruby stopped, looking concerned. Weiss grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away.

I staggered into one of the rooms in the infirmary, falling into a chair. The nurse looked at me, somewhat taken aback.  
"Headache. Concussion. Help." I mumbled. The nurse seemed to understand my babbling and started digging through her shelves. I hung my head, crossing my arms over my knees. She came over to me, handing me two pills and a glass of water.  
"Take these," she said, thankfully keeping her voice low. "And use the bed over there to get some rest. Your headache should be gone by the time you wake up." I nodded my thanks, swallowing the pills and collapsing on the bed. I could feel the pain beginning to fade away as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I woke up to the red light of dusk streaming in the window. I looked around, confused, wondering where I was, until I remembered that I had gone to the infirmary. I sighed, the headache was gone. I could finally think straight - _see_ straight - again. I dragged myself to my feet, making my way out of the room.

As I turned to head towards the dining hall I saw an open door halfway down the hallway. I suddenly remembered the ambulance I'd seen on my way back to Beacon. _Maybe that's their room… _I headed towards the door, wanting to check on whoever was in there. As I approached the door I slowed down, hearing voices inside.

"There were no signs of this in her transcripts, why would she hide it?" A female voice asked.  
"It doesn't matter. It's not important anyway. Put the bow back on." A male voice answered. _A bow? Is it Blake?_ She was the only person I'd seen around Beacon wearing a bow.I edged closer, straining to listen. _Hide what? What's going on? _  
"But Professor Ozpin-" The female voice was cut off.  
"If she wanted it hidden, then hidden it will remain. It is not our place to reveal anything that she does not want to be revealed." The male voice replied, I realised it was Professor Ozpin.  
"Yes sir."  
"We should let her rest, and inform her team. No doubt they're worried about her."  
"Yes sir."

I rushed away from the door, dashing into another room to hide. As I peered around the corner I saw Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch leaving the room. I ducked back around the corner, hiding from view for about a minute. Once I was sure they were gone, I headed towards the room they'd left. I glanced around, checking to see if anyone was coming, before creeping into the room.

In the crimson light of the setting sun I saw Blake asleep on the bed. It _was _her.  
"Blake…" I whispered. I glanced at her bow as I walked towards the bed. _What were they talking about? What is she hiding? _I almost reached out to pull the bow off, to find out. But I stopped myself. I couldn't steal her secrets like that. If she decided that she wanted me to know, then she would tell me. _Not before._ I told myself. _Only when she's ready, not before._

I sat down in the chair next to the bed, taking her hand. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, but dashed them away. _NOT while there's hope Yang. _I smiled as I touched a hand to her cheek, stroking a finger down the line of her jaw. Despite the seriousness of her situation, she was beautiful. I was worried about her—I was _terrified_ for her—but that fact still hit me. She was absolutely beautiful. The light shining through the window cast an orange tinge to her fair skin, casting shadows over half of her face.

"I… I'm sorry Blake." I began. A speech that I hadn't even planned came bursting out of me. "I never meant for it to end up like this. I _know_ that it's stupid, but I'm sorry that this happened. I know we have to be ready to give our lives at any moment, but losing the strength to fight… That's… No, I _know_ that you're strong Blake. I've never met anyone stronger. I _know_ you can pull through, I believe in you. But… If… Something goes wrong… I just want to say that… I… I'm sorry. I'm _really_ sorry. And… I… I love you." Tears dripped down my face freely now, and I did nothing to stop them. It wasn't until this moment that I realised the depth of my true feelings. I was in love her. In love with Blake. Madly, deeply, and truly in love with her.

I threw my arms around her, sobbing into her shoulder. I'd realised my feelings, I'd admitted them. But she couldn't hear me. She hadn't heard the first time I'd told her that I loved her. And if she woke up without her aura… And she left me behind… She might never hear it at all. I cried for that. I cried for Blake. I cried for me.

I'd had to suppress my own tears to be a role model for Ruby. I had to be the caring sister, the doting parent, the guiding force, in her life. I could never let her down. But I never had to be strong for Blake. Blake could see this. I could let myself out around Blake, like I couldn't around anybody else. So I did. I let out the tears that I'd held in for Ruby. I let them out for Blake. I broke down my walls, tore down the barriers around my heart. I opened myself up and let myself feel the grief, the despair, the agony and the love. All for Blake. All for the girl that I loved.


	14. Chapter 14: A New Mission

**Ruby**

I sat in the dining hall, staring out the window at the setting sun. Weiss was sitting next to me, quietly filing her nails. She'd seemed unusual today, more distant than she had the night before. It puzzled me. At the hospital she had been so comforting and close, holding my hand and being there to support me. Ever since this morning she'd reverted to her attitude from before all this mayhem began: colder, snappier, and just further away from me. It felt as if she was still that caring person, still wanted to be there for me, but she was just out of reach.

I sighed as I checked the time. It was nearly six o'clock, we still hadn't heard from Yang. I was beginning to get worried about her. Was her injury getting worse? Weiss stopped filing her nails, peering at me as I fidgeted.  
"What's got you all in a jitter?" she asked.  
"Yang's still not back." I replied, dropping my head. I flinched as Weiss flicked me on the forehead. I let out a yelp, jumping in my seat. I pouted up at her as I rubbed my forehead, poking my tongue out for good measure.

"Yang will be fine," Weiss said calmly. "She's probably just resting, as well she should be."  
"Yeah," I groaned. "You're probably right." I looked around the room, bored. My eyes settled on my tablet, sitting on the table. It was where I'd left it after pulling it out minutes before to read the message we'd both gotten from Professor Ozpin.

"So I wonder why they moved Blake here…" I muttered, half talking to myself. "Wouldn't a hospital be better than the school's infirmary?"  
"Maybe," Weiss answered. "Maybe not, maybe Blake's condition is better known amongst Hunters and Huntresses, they might know more about how to treat it."  
"But, if that were true, why would they keep it a secret?"  
"I don't know Ruby, I'm just guessing, throwing out options."  
"I guess so…"  
"I'm sure we'll find out in time. And even if we don't find out exactly why, we can be sure that they wouldn't have brought her here if the hospital had a better chance of helping her. Ozpin wouldn't endanger one of his students like that."

That made me feel better about Blake's transfer. Weiss was definitely right on that count. There was _no way_ Professor Ozpin would endanger one of his students like that.  
"You're right," I said, smiling up at Weiss. "Thanks Weiss." I saw her cheeks turn pink as she hurriedly turned away, filing her nails again. _She's still there, just out of reach. _

After we ate our dinner we decided to head to the infirmary to visit Blake.  
"We should probably try and find Yang while we're there," I said as we left the dining hall. "At least to make sure she's okay."

We made our way through the tall, winding hallways of Beacon, passing students and teachers alike. Everything seemed so peaceful, so normal. It was like no one even knew that Blake might never be a Huntress. _They don't. And if they did, most of them don't have any reason to care. _The thought upset me. Only me, Yang and Weiss were close to Blake at all. And only we and Team JNPR would have any reason to be upset if she lost her aura and could never be a Huntress. No one else in the teeming population of Beacon Academy would care.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes at the thought, but I dashed them away. _Like Yang said, no crying while there's still hope for her. Be a leader Ruby. _I squared my shoulders, leading the way down the hall.

The sun had well and truly set by the time we reached the infirmary, the hallways lit by lamps on the walls. I checked the message we'd gotten from Professor Ozpin, telling us where Blake's room was, and headed off to find it. We'd decided to look for Yang afterwards: it'd give her more time to rest.

But as we walked into Blake's room, we found Yang. She was sitting in a chair next to Blake's bed, holding Blake's hand, her head resting on Blake's arm, sleeping quietly. The fact she was sleeping without snoring really freaked me out. Yang _always_ snored when she slept; in all the years I'd known my big sister, I'd never seen her sleep without snoring.

Weiss and I sat on Blake's other side, as quietly as we could. I watched them both sleeping peacefully, a gentle smile on my face. It was an adorable sight. I was relieved to see that I could make out movement in Blake's chest now, her breathing was getting stronger. I leant forward, picking up Blake's other hand and gently squeezing it. She probably couldn't feel it, but it felt like I was reassuring her.

We sat there silently as Blake and Yang slept, watching them. After a while I let go of Blake's hand and leant back in my seat. I laid my head on Weiss' shoulder, leaning into her. She didn't wrap an arm around me as I'd found myself hoping for, but at least she didn't push me away. After a minute or so I felt her lay her own head down on mine. I couldn't help but smile. _She's just here, just within my reach. _We stayed like this for about half an hour before Yang groaned, the usual sign that she was waking up. I pulled myself away from Weiss, Weiss straightened her hair. We leant back in our own seats as Yang looked up, squinting, with a drop of drool hanging from the side of her mouth.

"Wha-?" She mumbled. "Ruby? Weiss? What're you two doing here?" I giggled quietly. Yang was always funny when she first woke up.  
"We came to visit Blake, and to find you."  
"Oh…" She stared at us, my words not quite getting through to her. "Did you find it alright?"  
"Just fine Yang. We're here now aren't we?" Yang's eyes widened as her brain caught up with her waking body. She jerked back in her seat, snatching her hand away from Blake's.

"I wasn't doing anything!" She yelled, wiping the drool off her cheek. She panicked, scooting her chair further away from Blake.  
"Yang, it's fine." I said. "You're worried about Blake, and you're still recovering. I get it, there's nothing to freak out about." I smiled reassuringly at her, and she began to calm down. She blushed slightly as she scooted her chair back closer to Blake. After gazing at her for a minute or so, she pushed her chair back, getting to her feet.

"Come on," she declared. "We should head back to the dorm." Weiss and I nodded, getting out of our own chairs. Yang headed out into the hallway first, Weiss made to follow her. As Weiss and I approached the door I reached out and took Weiss' hand in my own. I felt a brief pressure on my hand before Weiss pulled away, she'd definitely squeezed my hand back. _She still cares,_ I thought, sighing with relief. I don't know why I was so relieved _now_: she'd been caring for the last half an hour. I guess that last confirmation settled it for me. I had a smile on my face as we headed back to our dorm.

* * *

We passed very few students in the halls: most of the students seemed to have returned to their dorms. Just before we rounded the corner to our dorm, all of our tablets went off. We all looked at each other, confused. I pulled my tablet out, opening the message I'd just received. _To the members of Team RWBY, _it read, _I would like to request your immediate presence in my office. I have something that I feel we need to discuss. Signed, Professor Ozpin._

"I wonder what he wants." I muttered.  
"He might tell us why they moved Blake here." Yang replied, peering thoughtfully at her own tablet.  
"Probably," Weiss said. "Can you think of anything else he'd want us for?" None of us could, Blake's condition was the only thing worth worrying about at the moment. I glanced regretfully at the door to our dorm, just down the hallway. I had been looking forward to getting some sleep. Weiss and I had to go back to classes tomorrow and I was still not completely recovered from the fight with the Beowolf.

_The Beowolf… _

"Maybe he wants to talk to us about the Beowolf?" Weiss suggested, beating me to it. I pouted at her. I'd just thought the same thing.  
"Yeah," I said, more to Yang than to Weiss. "The people we told at the hospital probably would've told the police, or the Academy, about the Beowolf by now."  
"Why haven't we?" Yang asked. That was a good point.  
"I guess we were just too worried about you and Blake to think of it." I answered. We all put our tablets away and headed towards Professor Ozpin's office, leaving my warm, comfortable bed behind.

Weiss led us to Ozpin's office. Even with the map of the school on my tablet, the layout seemed too confusing for me to find the office. Eventually we arrived at the door to Ozpin's office. I reached out and knocked tentatively.  
"Come in." Ozpin's voice called from within. I turned the doorknob, pushing the door knob.

Ozpin was sitting back in the chair at his desk, his tablet in one, coffee mug in the other. He glanced up as we came in.  
"Ah good, you made it." he said. Weiss, Yang and I lined up in front of his desk.  
"Yes sir," I said.  
"Now, I suppose you want to know why I called you all here this evening."  
"Yes sir, we thought it might've had something to do with Blake."

Ozpin smiled over his mug. He gestured for us to sit in the chairs in front of his desk.  
"And you were right, partially." He said as we sat down. "I _do _want to talk about Blake's condition. But I also want to talk to you about the monster that caused it." _So it was both, _I thought. "I had Blake moved here from the hospital for the simple reason that they can't treat her as well as we can." Weiss, Yang and I exchanged a confused glance. _How could a school infirmary be better than a hospital?_

"Uh, sir… I'm not sure I understand." I said nervously. Ozpin gave me an amused smile.  
"Aura shock is not as uncommon an ailment as the general hospitals think. It's one that we've known about for years, but one we kept secret. It wouldn't do for the general populace to know that we have a weakness. The stronger, the more invulnerable, they see us, the safer they feel. And, contrary to what you may believe, there are those out there who are none too fond of Hunters and Huntresses. Why should we let our enemies know our weakness?" It made sense, I had to admit that. And even if they kept it as secret as possible, eventually it would begin to creep out. So it also made sense that the hospitals were starting to learn about it.

"So, sir," Yang interjected. "Does that mean that we have a way to treat it here? We have a way to make Blake better?" Her voice seemed strangely strained. I looked at her, concerned. She was leaning forward in her chair, gripping the arms of her chair so hard that her knuckles were turning white.  
"We can treat it Yang," he replied. "But it's still not perfect. It's better, and it will improve her chances, but it's not a guarantee." Yang slumped back into her chair, looking defeated. "But," Ozpin continued. "We also understand the ailment better, and I can tell you that Blake has a better chance to recover than anyone I've seen suffering it before."

Yang looked up once more, hope returning to her eyes. I felt hope welling up in me as well, but Yang was grasping for it, I could tell.  
"What are her chances?" she asked.  
"About an eighty percent chance of recovery, at the very least. She should come out of this just fine. I'm not going to promise anything, but she should be okay." Ozpin answered, smiling at Yang's reaction. She slumped back in her chair with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling with a smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile as well, sharing one with Weiss. I felt Weiss pat me on the arm as I turned back to Professor Ozpin.

"So do you know when she's going to wake up?" I asked. "Even a rough guess?"  
"That's a more difficult question," Ozpin said reassuringly. "It varies from person to person and we've found that the stronger the aura, the faster they can repair and recover it. So as the strength of her aura increases her chances of recovery, it also _decreases_ her recovery time. I'd say, at a guess, she'll wake up sometime in the next few days, if any of our other patients in the past are anything to go on." I nodded, the thought cheering me up slightly. The thought of her recovering faster brought a smile to my face. That was slightly faster than the nurse at the hospital had told us, but then Ozpin said they knew more about it here. So we had only to wait a few days for her to be okay.

And the news of her increased chances of recovery made me feel a lot better, as if a weight had lifted off me. I could smile easier now, and more naturally. Ozpin had said her chances her eighty percent _at the least_; which meant, especially knowing how strong Blake was, those odds could only increase. Yang and I shared heartfelt smiles, smiles both filled with joy and relief. Yang must've been thinking the same things I was.

"Now," Professor Ozpin broke in. "You three should get to bed. You all still need to rest and recover from your battle." I nodded, beginning to rise from my chair.  
"But sir," Weiss said. "You said we were going to talk about the Beowolf, not just Blake." I looked at him questioningly, realising Weiss was right. Ozpin smiled at Weiss, as if amused that she'd caught it.  
"Yes Weiss, I did." He answered. "But it's getting late; I think that particular discussion can wait until tomorrow. Yang doesn't have any classes until she gets the all clear from the nurses, and I believe you and Ruby have a study period tomorrow morning?" Weiss and I nodded. Was it weird that Professor Ozpin knew our timetables that well? Maybe he'd checked them before we came. "Excellent, then you can all meet me here tomorrow morning, during your study period. Yang, if you're feeling unwell at the time, the meeting is optional for you, so feel free to rest longer. But I get the feeling you might want to hear about it anyway." Yang nodded, I'd never thought for a second that Yang would skip the meeting. She'd want to know anything about the monster that hurt Blake.

"Excellent!" he declared. "Now, off you go. I'll speak to you all tomorrow morning." We pushed our chairs back and stood, Yang leading the way out into the hallway.  
"I wonder what he has to tell us about it…" I mumbled as the door closed behind me.  
"We'll find out tomorrow Ruby," Weiss said, turning to lead the way back to the dorm. "There's no point worrying about it now."  
"I guess…" I plodded along behind, curiosity tugging at me. Yang slapped me on the back.  
"Come on sis, at least we got some good news tonight." She grinned as she reassured me.  
"Yeah, you're right." I said, returning the grin. Yang draped an arm across my shoulders as we followed Weiss down the hallway. As much as I wished it was Weiss, it felt good to have Yang close to me again.

* * *

The following morning saw Weiss, Yang and I all standing outside Ozpin's door again. I was getting more and more curious, wondering what he had to say. Yang slapped a hand on my shoulder, pushing down, stopping me from bouncing up and down like I had been all morning.  
"Ruby. Chill." She said. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Weiss, why did you let her eat cookies before coming here?"  
"I wouldn't say I _let_ her. She just ate them." Weiss replied, in a slightly offended tone. Yang held her hands up in a calming gesture.  
"Okay, okay. You chill too Ice Queen." Yang said. Weiss sniffed, knocking on Professor Ozpin's door.

"Come in!" Ozpin called out. We entered the office, taking the seats he offered us. "Glad to see you girls could make it."  
"Yes, sir," I said. "I… _We_ were curious about what you wanted to tell us." He gave me another of his slightly amused smiles before answering.

"Good. Well, to begin with, the guards on the outer walls have been investigating the matter. But they have been unable to determine how the Beowolf managed to make its way inside the walls. That being said, the guards can't examine the outside face of the walls, because they're not Hunters. They're merely watchmen. So, because your team was the first to respond to the situation, I've decided that your team should be the ones to finish it."  
"And what exactly do you mean by that sir?" I asked, somewhat unsure what to think.

"I mean, Ruby, that I want you and Weiss, and Yang when she's recovered, to find out how that thing got into the city. I want you to examine the outer walls, search for any signs of how it got it, and, if possible, prevent it from happening again." I gaped at him, with no idea what to say. He wanted _us _to take on the job of a fully-trained team of Huntresses?  
"But, sir… Are you sure we can handle a job like that alone?" I asked. "It'll only be Weiss and me for a while. I don't want to get caught in a fight with a pack of monsters without my team." Weiss and I shared a worried look. The two of us—alone—in Forever Fall Forest? That would be incredibly dangerous, that forest was filled with Grimm.

"You'll be right near the wall, examining its exterior. The guards will have ropes hanging down for you should you get overrun. You can choose to stand and fight whatever enemies approach you, or flee and go back down later. It's your mission: I'll leave the choice to you." He said. I felt a little more at ease hearing that, Weiss seemed more confident about it as well. We nodded at each other, each filling the other with more confidence.

"Well," Yang said. "I'll just stay here and look after Blake. You guys be careful. I'll be out there with you as soon as I can." I smiled at Yang, nodding my thanks. Ozpin stood behind his desk, coffee mug in hand.  
"You girls had best head back to class. Finish your classes for today, your assignment begins tomorrow."


	15. Chapter 15: An Unexpected Development

**Weiss**

The sun was still low in the sky as Ruby and I reached the top of the city walls. It was just peaking over the top of Beacon's spires. We'd left early in the morning, eager to get to our new mission. Ruby seemed to see it as making amends for Blake's condition. I wanted something to take her mind off our injured comrades.

We gazed down at the forest from our place up on the wall. Two guards had come with us, with ropes to lower us down.  
"So there was no sign of any gaps or cracks in the wall on the inside?" I asked them. They both shook their heads.  
"No Ma'am. The wall was intact on the inside." One of them answered. I looked down at the base of the wall, wondering what there could be for us to find. If there was no crack on the inside, then why would there be anything wrong with the wall on the outside?

Ruby and I shared a thoughtful look; she was probably thinking the same thing. I let my gaze linger on Ruby a little while longer after she looked away. Ever since our… meeting… in the shower two days prior, I'd been struggling to hold myself away from Ruby. I didn't know what to do anymore. I wanted to hold myself back, I didn't know how she felt about me; I wanted to throw myself at her, and she was _definitely_ sending me hints towards that direction. But I didn't know if she had the same feeling as me.

But she was definitely trying to get closer. Our evening in Blake's ward in the infirmary had proven that. She'd snuggled up to me for the entire time we were there, and I'd furiously fought the urge to wrap my arms around her the entire time. I didn't want her to realise my feelings if she didn't reciprocate them. _But why would she be trying to get so close if she didn't feel the same way? _I wanted to tear my hair out. All this second guessing was driving me crazy.

_Just find a way to ask her, _I told myself, _you don't need to _tell_ her your feelings. Just ask her how _she's _feeling. _It was a good idea, but it would sound strange… _"So Ruby, how do you feel about me?" _I mentally shuddered. No, that would never work. _"So Ruby, I feel like we've been getting closer…" _Nope. No way in Hell. _"Ruby, you know, if you ever need to talk about anything, you can talk to me." _Maybe… Probably not, she had Yang for that. She'd have no reason to confide in me. _Unless she _does_ feel the same way…_

"So where should we start?" Ruby asked. I nearly leapt out of my skin. I'd been so caught up in my thoughts that I'd almost forgotten she was there. I focussed on the situation at hand. We had a job to do. _There's no time to be worrying about your relationship with Ruby right now. _

"There's no sense in dilly dallying, we might as well just go down there and start looking around." I replied. Ruby nodded.  
"Okay, we'll just drop down from here." She said to the guards. The guards hurried to attach the ropes to pulleys and get them ready for our descent. We hooked ourselves up as soon as they were ready and began rappelling down the wall.

We hit the ground at the base of the wall and drew our weapons. I watched our surroundings while Ruby unhooked herself, and she kept watch while I did the same. There were no signs of Grimm anywhere near us. I wasn't sure if that was strange or not. We hadn't been told how often Grimm came near the wall.

I looked in either direction along the wall, wondering which way to start searching. It all looked exactly the same. I looked at Ruby, who shrugged and headed off to our left, eyes on the face of the wall. I followed after her, keeping my eyes on the forest.

We walked for what seemed like hours, trekking through a never changing landscape of crimson trees. I stayed watchful as we walked, my eyes focussed on the trees around us, searching for any sign of movement. I looked over my shoulder now and again to look at Ruby, making sure she was still there. I hadn't heard a peep from her since we'd descended into the forest.

She was still there every time I looked, but she was always facing the wall. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd found anything. But at the same time I knew that if she had, she'd probably have told me. I did my best to suppress my curiosity, focussing on the forest around us.

We'd been walking for at least an hour, maybe even two. But there was still no sign of any movement in the forest around us. Something was definitely strange about this now. We'd spent hours in a forest known for being filled with Grimm, and we'd yet to even hear one in the distance. I had expected to at least have had an encounter with a few Beowolves or a Boarbatusk within the first hour.

I looked up, at the top of the wall. I could just make out the guards that had lowered us down at the top. They were following along the wall with us, ready to drop their ropes down to help us up at any moment. I sighed, turning back to Ruby.

"Ruby," I called out to her. "Should we turn back? We might be able to find something in the other direction." I turned to face the forest while waiting for her answer. She was silent for a moment before answering.  
"Yeah, I guess so." I heard her call out. "There doesn't seem to be anything here…" There was something in her voice that worried me. She seemed distracted, conflicted. I stole a glance at her, checking to see if she was okay. She was gazing up at the wall, her back to me.

I glanced back at the forest one last time, turning to walk over to Ruby.  
"Ruby…?" I called her name as I reached out to touch her on the shoulder. She jumped, spinning around and raising Crescent Rose. I ducked, bringing Myrtenaster up to guard my head. "Ruby! What're you doing?"

I heard Crescent Rose crash to the ground. I looked up at Ruby. She was hugging herself, tears streaming down her face. I watched in disbelief as she fell to her knees, sobbing. I stood up, taking a step towards her.  
"Ruby…? What's the matter?" I reached a hand out towards her.

Ruby let out a piercing shriek, holding her hands over her ears. I stumbled back, covering my own. Her scream rang out, echoing through the forest behind me. _Something must have heard that, _I thought, examining the trees, _something's got to come now. _I pulled my hands away from my ears, turning back to Ruby. As I took a step towards her, she screamed again, somehow louder than before.

She was on her knees in the dirt, head tilted back, screaming towards the sky. I fell to my own knees, covering my ears once more. I crawled towards Ruby as her scream tore through the air. I grabbed onto Ruby's skirt, trying to pull her onto the ground. When she didn't move, I crawled further forward, tackling her.

We tumbled to the ground, Ruby's scream cutting off. She bucked, trying to throw me off. I pinned her on the ground, preventing her from moving. Despite my efforts, Ruby kept screaming. My ears were in agony, and I couldn't use my hands to block them, or Ruby would toss me off.  
"Ruby!" I yelled, trying to reach her over the sounds of her screaming. She didn't stop, she didn't even react. She just kept screaming. I gritted my teeth, closing my eyes. _Sorry Ruby. _I let go of Ruby with one hand and hit her, hard. As my palm slapped into her cheek, her head jerked to the side, momentarily stopping her screaming.

I let out a sigh of relief, she'd finally calmed down. Before I could get off Ruby, I heard a sharp intake of breath from her, and she screamed again.  
"**Somebody stop the whistling!**" she wailed, tears streaking her face. _Whistling? What whistling? _I put my hands over Ruby's ears, pressing my forehead to hers.  
"Ruby! There's no whistling! Calm down!" I yelled.  
"**Noooooo! I can ****_hear_**** it!**" Her words descended into inarticulate screaming. I felt tears welling up in my own eyes, what was happening to Ruby?

I picked up Myrtenaster, tears running down my face.  
"I'm sorry Ruby…" I whispered. I swung Myrtenaster, slamming the pommel into the side of Ruby's head. She instantly fell silent, her head slumping to the side. After taking a second to check her breathing and heart rate, I gave Ruby a gentle kiss on the forehead. I shook with sobs, tears dripped onto Ruby's face, mixing with her own. I reached down, caressing Ruby's now peaceful face.

"Oh Ruby… What happened to you?" I whispered. Maybe the stress and the worry were getting to her, she was having a break down. I held Ruby in my arms, clinging to her.

Something growled in the trees behind me. My head jerked up. I let go of Ruby, spinning around to face the forest. A group of three Beowolves were emerging from the trees. I swore, reading Myrtenaster. I loaded a chamber of Burn Dust, poising Myrtenaster to strike.

The open field between the wall and the trees was an excellent battle ground, giving me all the room I needed to dive, jump, slash and burn my way through the Beowolves. These Beowolves were _much_ smaller than the one that had injured Blake and I was fighting in a much more advantageous battleground than a dark factory. I dealt with the Beowolves with ease, leaving their bodies smoking on the edge of the forest.

I approached the wall, shouting up to the guards atop it to lower their ropes. I turned to watch the forest as they began lowering the ropes, watching for any other sign of movement. Surely the cries of the Beowolves would attract more Grimm. Keeping one eye on the forest, I hooked one of the ropes onto Ruby's belt, making sure it was securely fastened.

I heard a loud roar come from the forest and spun to face it. An Ursa was smashing its way through the trees towards Ruby and I. I sheathed Myrtenaster in a rush, tying the other rope to my own belt. I yanked down hard on the ropes, signalling the guards atop the wall to reel us in. I picked up Ruby, holding her in my arms as the ropes tightened. The Ursa had reached the end of the trees now and was charging across the open gap between the forest and the wall.

"Hurry up!" I screamed at the guards. When the Ursa was merely three metres away, the ropes jerked Ruby and I into the air. I tucked my legs up, jumping off the wall to get further away from the Ursa. The Ursa leapt, trying to chase us, swinging its paws madly. Its claws sliced through the dangling fabric of Ruby's cloak, shredding the end of it, but we were too high for it to reach us. I sighed with relief as the guards hauled us up, watching the Ursa smash against the sheer wall, bellowing in frustration.

I held Ruby to my chest tightly all through our ascent. _What had happened? Why did she break down like that? _I was worried about her, was she really losing it? I caressed her cheek gently and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

When I looked up, we were almost at the top of the wall, the guards sweating as the hauled us up. They collapsed on the ground as they hauled us over the lip, gasping for breath. I laid Ruby down gently and sat against one of the parapets along the wall. I leant my head back, closing my eyes. _We're okay, _I thought, _for now at least. We still have to work out what's happening with Ruby. _I looked over at her now peaceful face, wondering what had gone wrong.

"What the _hell_ happened?" one of the guards gasped. I looked over at them, they were still lying on their backs, breathing heavily.  
"I don't know," I replied. "She seemed to be on edge for a while, and then she just… Well, you heard."  
"Yeah. Yeah we did. What was she screaming about?"  
"Something about whistling. She wanted me to stop 'the whistling'."  
"So she lost it, basically. She absolutely lost it." The other guard muttered, rolling over onto his side.

"She did not _lose it_, thank you very much. That's my team leader you're talking about, show her some respect!"  
"Okay, okay, my apologies Ma'am. But, clearly _something _went wrong." He was right. I looked at Ruby again. Something _had_ gone wrong. I felt sure it was just the stress of the last few days getting to her, so he was right in a way; she _had_ lost it.  
"Well, we won't know until she wakes up." I said, putting the matter to rest. "Send for some help, I want to get her back to Beacon as soon as possible."

* * *

I was sitting next to Ruby's bed in Beacon's infirmary when she woke. She looked around the room, squinting, looking confused. I watched as she tried to sit up, held a hand to her head and slumped back onto the bed.  
"Uhhh… My head." She groaned. "Where am I?"  
"You're in the infirmary at Beacon." I replied. Rather shortly. I _was _worried about Ruby, but I couldn't help but be a little angry. Once my initial concern had worn off, I remembered that the girl had nearly _taken my head off!_

"Weiss? Wha… What happened?"  
"I don't know Ruby. You tell me. What the _hell_ happened out there?" I sat back in my chair, crossing my arms. She looked up at me, blanching at my stern look.  
"I… I don't know. The last thing I remember is getting to the bottom of the wall. What happened?"

"What happened? You went insane! _That's _what happened! You stopped talking for hours, and when I tried to see if you were okay, you nearly cut my head off!" I shrieked, losing my cool. Ruby looked up, a jovial half-smile on her face. She thought I was _joking_?  
"Good one," she laughed. "Like I'd ever… Weiss?" Her face fell as she realised I was being serious. I glared at her as she turned pale, terror etching itself on her face. "W-Weiss… Did… Did I hurt you?"

"No, you dunce!" I yelled. I knew I should calm down, stop yelling, but I was too mad now. "But not from lack of trying! What the hell happened Ruby? First you try to kill me, and then you start screaming, about some whistling that no one else could hear, loud enough for all of Forever Fall to hear you." Ruby grew paler as I went on, looking down and rubbing her hands together nervously.

As I finished my tirade, she looked up at me, her face pale.  
"Weiss…" She whispered. "Did that really happen?"  
"Of course it did you dolt! Do you think I'd make this up? What do you take me for? How can you not remember?" I turned away from Ruby, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Weiss!" she yelled. I froze, turning to look at her. She was angry, looking at me sternly. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I _really_ don't remember any of this. I don't remember any whistling, I don't remember attacking you. Like I said, the last thing I remember was getting to the bottom of the wall. Now, you look like your fine. You must be if you have the energy to get _this _angry at me. And if you're okay, then you don't have any reason to get mad in the first place!"

I slunk back in my chair, retreating before Ruby's anger. I hadn't seen her this angry at me since we'd argued in the Emerald Forest on our first day. And she was right. I knew I was being unreasonable.  
"I… I know," I said apologetically. "I… I'm… I'm sorry Ruby. I don't know, it was just a very stressful morning." Ruby's face softened.  
"I understand Weiss, but we're both okay right?"  
"Yeah." I said, smiling at her.  
"Then everything's okay." She said, returning the smile before wincing and clutching a hand to her head. "Urgh…" she groaned. "What happened to my head? It's like something's trying to get out."

"Uh… About that..." I said sheepishly. "I had to find a way to calm you down, to stop you from screaming, so I kind of… had to… knock you out."  
"You what?" She asked, frowning. "So _you're_ getting angry at _me_, while _you're_ the one who nearly split my head open!"  
"Uhh… Yes?" I cringed, bracing for another tirade.

Ruby took a deep breath, calming herself down.  
"Okay, we're both alive, we're okay. There's no need for anyone to get angry." She smiled, showing that she'd calmed down. I smiled back, relieved. "So have you told Yang about what happened?" she asked.  
"Yes, I have. She was here earlier, watching over you with me, but she's gone back to Blake's room now. She seems to spend all her time there."  
"Well she can't go to classes or exercise, what else does she have to do?"  
"I suppose you're right."

We sat in silence for a minute or two. We heard people passing down the hallway outside, people talking normally. Eventually Ruby broke the silence.  
"Have you told Professor Ozpin?" she asked.  
"No," I replied, just realizing that I hadn't. "We probably should, shouldn't we?"  
"Yeah, he might have some idea about what happened."  
"Should I go now, or wait until tomorrow? It's starting to get late." I said, looking out the window. "You were out for most of the day."

Ruby peered out the window thoughtfully.  
"No, we can both go and see him tomorrow. I'm sure my head will feel better once I get a good night's sleep." She laid herself down, laying her head on the pillow.

"Hey, Weiss?" She whispered, looking up at me. "Can you do me a favour?"  
"Sure, what is it?"  
"Will you stay with me tonight?" she asked, blushing slightly. I smiled down at her, feeling my own cheeks grow warm.  
"Of course I will."


	16. Chapter 16: Like Waking from a Dream

**Author's Note: **Blatant plug here for my new fic A Band of Four. It's an AU, so if you don't like AUs, read it anyway. Thanks for reading guys and, as always, reviews are much appreciated.

* * *

**Yang**

I sat at Blake's bedside, as I had for most of the day. I watched Blake sleeping peacefully as I tried to pretend that the threat hanging over her wasn't there. I'd spent the morning talking to her aimlessly, rambling on about my childhood, my parents, all but raising Ruby, and everything in between. I knew she couldn't hear me, but it made me feel better. I know she didn't talk back, but if filled in the silence.

The silence was deafening. That was the worst part. Blake was normally quiet, never talking much, and taking a while to open up, but at least she spoke to me. This silence was… unsettling. It felt too much like she wasn't going to wake up. So I filled that gap with nonsense, knowing that she'd never hear a word.

I'd rushed to Ruby's room in the late morning, when she'd been brought in by Weiss. The nurses had assured us both that Ruby would be okay, so I'd sat in the room with Weiss, hearing her recount the morning's events. I was concerned, of course, but I'd told Weiss that there was nothing we could do about it until she woke up, so I took my own advice and tried to relax. I'd stayed in Ruby's room with Weiss for an hour or two, watching her sleep. Eventually I decided to return to Blake's room, and that's where I stayed until the sun set.

I looked at the clock on the wall, shocked to how late it was, and hurried down the Ruby's room. Weiss was still sitting at Ruby's side and Ruby was still sleeping peacefully. Weiss looked up as I entered, smiling slightly.  
"She still hasn't woken up?" I asked as I sat down next to the bed, opposite Weiss.  
"She woke up a little while ago, but she went back to sleep. I'm surprised you didn't hear us." she replied, smiling sheepishly.  
"Why? What happened?" I asked, confused. Weiss looked at Ruby, avoiding my gaze, her cheeks turning pink.

"I uh… Might've lost my temper," She murmured.  
"Why would you lose your temper?"  
"I guess I was still a little stressed out, she nearly killed me when she freaked out."  
"Well," I said gently. She had a right to be upset about that. She had nearly been injured by her own team mate. "I guess that's fair enough. I hope you two made up though."  
"Yeah, we did. It's okay now." Her smile widened slightly.

I jumped to my feet, sliding the chair back a few inches.  
"Well I'm going to get something to eat," I declared. I looked down at Weiss questioningly. "Would you like to join me?" Weiss stood elegantly, almost gliding out of her chair.  
"Sure, I haven't eaten since breakfast." I held the door open for her, letting her out first. I cast one loving glance back at Ruby before closing the door behind me.

* * *

After dinner we made our way through the throngs of students returning to their dorms, or heading to the library, eventually reaching the infirmary. This part of the academy was empty, the nurses were no doubt off duty, and there were very few patients needing care. Silence hung in the air, unsettling me again. It felt like the silence of the grave.

"So," I began, more to fill the silence than anything else. "How are you feeling after this morning?" Weiss looked at me in surprise, pausing for a few seconds before answering.  
"I'm fine. I was lucky to not get injured, but I came out alright." The silence returned. I racked my brains to think of a way to fill it.

"Thanks for looking out for Ruby, Weiss." I said, latching onto the first thing I thought of.  
"What? Where's this coming from?" she asked, looking utterly bewildered. I smirked. I didn't really know where it was coming from myself.  
"You're always around when she needs someone. I try to look out for her, try my best to be there. But, try as I might, sometimes I can't always be there to watch over her. It's good to know that you'll be there for her when I can't be." I didn't know why I was spilling all this out to Weiss, but once I started, it felt right. "She's a strong girl, we all know that. But she needs someone to be there for her now and then. She's still only fifteen, and as hard as she tries—and as well as she's doing—she can't handle all this by herself. We need to support her as much as she supports us, maybe more. She's been through a lot in her life, as young as she is. And she's lost people already. She can't bear all that weight alone, we need to help her Weiss."

Weiss just gaped at me, speechless. I blushed slightly, I _had_ prattled on a bit. Maybe I'd said too much. I turned to walk away, but Weiss grabbed my arm and pulled me back.  
"Absolutely," she said, her face resolute. "No matter what happens, no matter what comes, I'll be there for her. I'll take care of her when you can't, and support her with you when you can. All I ask is that you do the same for me." Her face took on a worried, sombre expression. "If anything happens to me, anything that prevents me from being there for her, I need you to cover for me."

"Of course Weiss," I said as a smile broke out on my face. "Team RWBY's tag team support crew. That's us." I saw a smile edge its way onto Weiss' face. She nodded and made to head up the hall. "There is one thing though," I said, stopping her. She looked back questioningly. I grinned wickedly at her "I'm her big sister, my concern for her is a given. What makes _you_ so desperate to take care of her?" Weiss turned away in a huff, stomping her way down the hall. But, in the dim light of the hallway, before she turned away, I could've sworn I'd seen her cheeks turn bright red. _Oh Ruby, _I thought, _what have you gotten yourself into?_

I followed Weiss to Ruby's room, still grinning at her sudden tantrum. She quietened quickly as we entered Ruby's room, not wanting to wake her. We sat with her for a while, watching her sleep. I was too busy laughing at Weiss' reaction earlier to worry about the silence. After a few minutes I left Weiss with Ruby and headed down the hall to see Blake.

My unease returned as I approached the door. How would we actually know that she would wake up? I'd been worried about what would happen once she did, but what if she didn't at all? _ Then at least she died like a Huntress,_ a voice in my head whispered. I squashed it down, dying in bed, in a coma, was not how a Huntress died. And Blake _wasn't_ going to die. I tried to convince myself of that as I opened the door, letting myself into the dark room. I slumped into my usual chair, sighing heavily. I glanced over at Blake, who still appeared to be sleeping peacefully. I hung my head back, staring at the blank ceiling.

I froze as I heard a quiet groan.  
"Yang?" a quiet voice murmured. I whipped my head around, looking at Blake. Her eyes were ever so slightly open, there was a small smile on her face and it only widened as I leapt out of my chair, sending it clattering to the floor. I all but threw myself onto Blake, squeezing her tightly.

"Oh my God, you're awake!" I gasped. I pulled away from Blake, kissing her on the forehead. Then I wrapped my arms around her again, unable to resist the urge. "Are you okay? Oh I've missed you. How're you feeling? You're gonna be fine. I can't believe you're finally awake!" I knew I was prattling, but my excitement had got to me. I was just so happy to see Blake waking up at last.

I felt Blake's arm reaching up feebly and pulled back, thinking I was smothering her. I leant back, with my hands on her shoulders, looking at her questioningly. She smiled at me, oh that smile made me weak at the knees, and placed her hand on my upper arm. She grabbed a handful of my sleeve and tugged, pulling me back down. I wrapped my arms around her once more and felt her arms wrap around my neck.

I smiled, pressing my face into the curve of her neck. I felt tears beginning to well up in my eyes, tears of relief and joy. We stayed like this for a while, just holding each other. After a while I felt Blake push against, pushing me up. I pulled myself away, sitting on the bed, just next to her. Blake lay back on her pillow, still too weak to sit up.  
"What was that about?" she asked breathlessly, a light smile on her face.

My face flushed red I realised that she had no idea what was going on. She didn't know how long she'd been out, or what had happened to her. She didn't know how much I'd worried. My heart sank as I remembered that, as much as I'd talked to her over the last couple of days, she hadn't heard a word of it. How I felt about her might have changed, or developed, in recent days, but to her, nothing had happened between us. She hadn't heard me profess my love to her. She hadn't heard me recounting my life.

She began to look concerned as my smile faded.  
"I was worried about you, that's all." I said hurriedly, trying to plaster a smile back on my face. _Why do you have to force a smile? Blake's awake! _She didn't fall for it. She was weak, tired and still recovering, but Blake was never stupid.  
"Yang, what's wrong?" she asked, her face turning more serious. I sighed, _Good one Yang. How are you going to get out of this one?_

"Oh I was just upset because you were asleep and didn't hear all the times I said 'I love you'." I muttered out of the corner of my mouth. Blake looked shocked for a second. Then she smiled, giggling lightly.  
"You never change do you, Yang?" she asked teasingly. I wasn't sure if I should be happy that I successfully deflected the question, or upset that she didn't believe me. I smiled anyway. "So, what's the matter, really?" She was always good at getting back to the point. "What happened with the Beowolf?"

The Beowolf! I'd been so worried about Blake that I'd almost forgotten about it.  
"Ha ha, yeah…" I laughed, somewhat embarrassed. "We took that thing out, all sorted."  
"What happened?"  
"You got caught by surprise. When we tried to jump out of the factory, it managed to get up faster than I expected and followed us. It hit you from behind, knocked you out straight away." I was getting upset—angry—remembering what had happened that night, but I forced it down. Blake needed to be brought up to speed. "Then, after that happened, I—we—managed to take it down." I couldn't tell her that I'd taken the thing out alone, that would eventually lead her to questions about how, and why I'd gotten so angry, and so on and so forth until I was forced to confess my feelings.

"I?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. My head whipped back to Blake, panic showing on my face.  
"What?" I asked, frantically searching my brain for an out.  
"You said 'I', and then changed it to 'we'. Which was it?"  
"We," I said, hoping she'd believe me. "We took it out as a team."  
"Then why did you say 'I' in the first place?" She had her serious face on again. I looked away, abashed. "Tell me the truth Yang."

"Okay," I said, grimacing. "I did _most _of it. Ruby helped out a bit."  
"And how did you manage that?" _I knew this was going to happen.  
_"I got angry."  
"And?"  
"You've seen me when I get angry."  
"I have." She said, clearly expecting more. I rolled my eyes.  
"You've never seen me get _really_ angry. It's rare that it happens, but I sometimes it gets bad enough that everything just turns white, slows down, typical 'berserker' story. When that happens… Heck, even _I _get a little scared sometimes of what goes down."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense." I sighed in relief, she wasn't going to ask. I smiled at her, but it faltered when I saw she still had her serious face on. "Why would you get _that_ angry over me?" _Dammit.  
_"You're my partner Blake! I didn't like seeing you get hurt!" I hoped that that would be enough. I held my breath while she mulled it over. She nodded, accepting the answer. I let out the breath I'd been holding, smiling at her. This time she smiled back.

"How are you?" She asked quietly.  
"Me? Ha! I'm fine." I puffed my chest out, acting cocky. She just rolled her eyes and looked at me. "Oh alright, I came out with a concussion and a couple of fractures. My aura fixed the fractures, the concussions been getting better for a couple of days." A panicked expression came over Blake's face.  
"Days?" she asked. "How long was I out?"  
"A-a few days." I stuttered. "It's Tuesday night."

I froze as I remembered why we—why _I_—had been so worried about her. Did Blake still have her aura? She didn't even _know_ that she might have lost it. _How am I going to tell her?  
_"Why was I out for so long?" she asked in a worried tone. _God dammit Blake, how do you _do_ that? _She always seemed to follow the exact train of thought as me. Where would I even begin? Was there any way to break it to her gently?

"Blake," I began hesitantly. "Have you ever heard of 'aura shock'?" She shook her head slightly, a confused expression on her face. "It's what someone may suffer from if they are attacked when they're not expecting it. It doesn't happen all the time, 'cause they need to be hit _extremely_ hard, like you were by the Beowolf." I stopped, racking my brains. I didn't know where to go from here. I didn't want to frighten her.

"Okay," she said, accepting my explanation without a second thought. "What is it?" I looked at Blake, locking eyes with her. Raw strength radiated from those eyes; like she was ready for battle. She looked like she was staring down Death itself. In a way, for someone dreaming of being a Huntress, she was. All thoughts of reassuring her flew from my mind in an instant. _You don't need to be strong for her, Yang._ Blake was strong enough to handle this. I loved Blake for her strength. I had no right to coddle her like this. She needed to know.

"Blake," I began again. _Be strong Yang. _"There's a chance you might never be able to manifest your aura again." Silence rang heavy in the air as Blake stared at me. She didn't say anything, she didn't move, she didn't react at all. But I saw her face turn visibly pale, saw a tremor pass through her shoulders. I fought the urge to grab her and hold her tight. Blake needed to deal with this herself. _You don't need to be strong for her, she's strong enough. _

Blake nodded. That was all. No words were said, no tears were shed. They didn't need to be. Huntresses had to be strong. Blake _was_. I nodded back, standing up.  
"I better go get Ruby and Weiss. They'll want to know you're awake." I said, heading towards the door.

"Wait," I heard her call. When I turned back around, she was holding out her hands. I approached her, reaching out take them in my own. "Help me up." She said. That strength was still burning in her eyes. I nodded, giving her a smile. As gently as I could—she was still weak—I pulled Blake up and propped her pillows up behind her. Once she was comfortable I turned back to the door, but Blake squeezed my hand, stopping me. "Thank you Yang," she whispered. "Thank you for being honest with me."  
"Anytime," I replied with a grin.

Ruby was still sleeping peacefully when I entered her room. But now Weiss was asleep too, her head resting on Ruby's bed. I smirked at the pair of them, they looked so adorable together. I noticed that Weiss was holding Ruby's hand. _What _is_ she up to? _Weiss had been acting strangely recently, especially around Ruby or when Ruby was mentioned. _Maybe they're just bonding. _Even I didn't really believe that. Something else was going on.

I rounded Ruby's bed, gently shaking Weiss.  
"Hey, Weiss," I said in her ear. "Wake up!" She sniffed, turning her head away from me. I shook her harder and she groaned, her eyes cracking open.  
"Stop it Ruby," she whined, waving her hand at me. "That's enough for one night." I stepped back, gazing at her in shock. What the _Hell_ had she been dreaming about?  
"That's my little sister, don't you try anything." I muttered as I heaved Weiss' chair out from under her, sending her thumping to the floor.

Weiss was awake in an instant, leaping to her feet. Indignant rage covered her face before she recognised me, then it just turned to rage.  
"Yang!" she yelled. I shushed her, pointing at Ruby. She at least had the good grace to look embarrassed, blushing as she whispered. "What are you _doing_?"  
"Waking you up," I replied, smirking at her.  
"_Why_?"  
"'Cause Blake's awake."

Weiss froze, staring at me. I broke into a grin, trying to contain my laughter.  
"Really?" She asked.  
"Yep," I replied, moving over to Ruby. "She woke up a few minutes ago. Do you think we should wake Ruby up?"  
"Yes, she'll definitely want to see Blake as soon as possible."

We both had a battle to fight, waking Ruby up. How she woke up before us every morning before class I would never know, this girl slept like a rock. Ruby moaned, rolling away from us.  
"Cut it out Weiss," she muttered. "It tickles." Weiss stood straight, her face turning crimson. I just rolled my eyes. _God_, I thought,both_ of them? This is going to be interesting. _

"Ruby!" I yelled in her ear. "I baked cookies!" Ruby rocketed up in a flash of red. When she solidified she was standing on the bed, battle ready. I rolled my eyes again, putting my hands on my hips. Weiss was still shell-shocked, her face the colour of Ruby's cape.  
"Cookies?" Ruby asked, her face looking excited. I shook my head and her face fell. "Cookies…" she whined, sounding for all the world like a lost puppy.

"No Ruby," I said. "No cookies. But I have better news." Ruby cocked her head to the side, looking at me questioningly. She was still standing on the bed, her head almost brushing the ceiling. I tried to hold my grin, tried with all my might. "Blake's awake." Ruby's eyes widened and—in a flash of rose petals—was gone.

I shook Weiss, snapping her out of whatever fantasy she had spent the last minute. Her face was somehow getting redder as time went on. I wanted to snap her out of it before her head exploded, or her nose started bleeding.  
"What?" she asked, looking around. "Where's Ruby?"  
"I think I know," I said, smiling. I hooked my arm through Weiss', pulling her towards the door. "Come with me."

Ruby was sitting on her knees, almost in Blake's lap, talking animatedly to her as I dragged Weiss through the door.  
"–and then Yang was all like '_Raaaaargh_'! And she pummelled it. Like, there was nothing left. It was _awesome!_" I couldn't help but break into a grin. Ruby was back to normal. She'd been very reserved, by her standards, over the last few days. Worrying about Blake must've always been niggling at the back of her mind.

Blake was sitting up in her bed still, just smiling at Ruby. I stopped just inside the door. Weiss kept going into the room. I stood back, letting them have their moment with Blake.  
"I'm relieved to see you awake." Weiss said, smiling at Blake. Blake turned her head to smile back but Ruby wasn't letting her get a word in edgewise. Weiss stepped closer to the bed, grabbing Ruby around the waist and lifting her off the bed. Ruby flailed her arms around, panicking, before Weiss dumped her unceremoniously into a chair. Ruby blushed red as Weiss began berating her.

"She's only _just_ woken up Ruby. You can't just start beating her up like you're on the sparring ground." She droned. Ruby hung her head, pouting. I searched for Blake's eyes and found them as she searched for mine. We shared a smile over the heads of the other two. The team was finally back together.


	17. Chapter 17: The Moment of Truth

**Blake**

When Professor Ozpin heard that Ruby had been put in the infirmary, and that I had woken up, he decided that our mission could wait. We were ordered to take a few days off, recover as best we could, and that the mission that he had assigned us while I was comatose would resume once we were all recovered. Yang finished recovering from her concussion a couple of days after I'd woken up.

That was a good thing for her because—though she couldn't return to classes until the following week—she was allowed to resume training. She'd spent all of her days recovering in my ward with me, and I could tell she was getting restless. She tried to protest, saying she loved my company. I could tell that she was telling the truth when she said that, but just spending time with me wasn't enough for her. So after two days of Yang's constant company while she recovered, I convinced her to return to training.

I enjoyed my time with Yang more than anything. Once she left to start her training again I found myself wishing she'd come back. But I knew that being with me wouldn't fulfil her, she was too outgoing and energetic. She needed a way to burn off the steam that had been building up during her recovery.

My two days with Yang, and occasionally Ruby and Weiss, were some of the most peaceful, enjoyable days of my life. I cherished every second with my team, knowing that their very presence was a sign of how they cared for me. Ruby had recovered from her injury the night I woke, and she resumed classes with Weiss, so I only saw them in between classes or in the evening. I was still spending a lot of my time sleeping—I was still recovering myself—so sometimes I missed their visits. But whenever I woke, regardless of the time of day or night, Yang was there.

She spent my waking hours filling me in on everything I'd missed and, once that was covered, talking about current events, past events, her, her sister and almost everything in between. I enjoyed our conversations, though I was often too weak to sufficiently take part. They gave me an insight into Yang, a more personal view of my partner. I felt honoured to be given the gift of being so close to her, I cherished every word she said and smile we shared.

With everything she told me, I felt closer to her. And, gradually, the feelings I'd harboured towards her for the last weeks began drifting to the surface. I found myself enthralled with everything about her: the way her lips moved as she spoke, the way her hair shimmered in the sunlight, the motherly smile she wore whenever she spoke about Ruby and the caring, gentle, enrapturing smiles she directed at me. Whenever I saw her smile at me, I felt my heart flutter.

So, as upsetting as the separation was at times, her resuming her training was probably best for the both of us. It gave her a way to exercise, blow off steam and wear herself out. And it let me really relax, let me rest. At the very least it kept my heart rate constant.

And though she spent her days training—sparring with tutors and other students and obliterating practice dummies—she still came back to visit me every night. So I did my best to sleep through the days, did my best to be awake when Yang came to visit. If she was going to spend her days away, doing her own thing, I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. Sometimes she came with Ruby and Weiss, other times she came alone. And this was how my recovery went on.

The rest of my team was ecstatic that I had awoken, and I was glad to be with them. But the dim shadow of the aura shock still hung over us. When I'd first awoken I was too weak to manifest any of my aura, even if it had been at its strongest. So we had to wait. Professor Ozpin had come in at some point to explain the situation, and tell me my odds of recovery. What he told me did reassure me somewhat, but there was still a chance that my injuries were going to be permanent. And, though no one said it, everyone knew that with such an impairment, being a Huntress was impossible.

And so the days passed, all more or less the same. But as more went by, my anxiety only increased. Yang's nightly presence was like a salve, calming me down, but even she couldn't dismiss the fear entirely. Ruby told me repeatedly that I would be fine. She was confident that I'd be able to pull through with no ill effects, but I couldn't help but be scared. There were no higher stakes for me than what was at risk now. Losing my aura would mean I couldn't be a Huntress. I'd have to leave Beacon and abandon my dream. I had nowhere else to go and nothing else to strive for in life, other than being a Huntress. I couldn't—I _wouldn't_—return to the White Fang. And—I was surprised by how much this thought tortured me at night—if I left Beacon I would never see Yang again.

So I looked to the end of the week with apprehension. Beacon's doctors had estimated that I would be about fully recovered by then. I did start to feel more like my old self as the weekend approached, but I never once tried to activate my aura. A part of me was desperate to know, but the other was too scared to try, afraid of what would happen.

* * *

I awoke on Saturday morning with a nauseating pit in my stomach, it was time to find out if I'd recovered or not. I woke early. The sun was only just beginning to peak over the buildings of Vale as I got out of bed. I took a few minutes to sit at the window, watching the sunrise. I did my best to calm down but I knew the effort would be futile, too much was at stake.

Yang, Ruby and Weiss came into my room half an hour after I woke up. Ruby was talking cheerfully, but I could sense the anxiety that they all felt. They were as nervous about this as I was. None of us had any idea what was coming.

Yang took the seat next to mine at the window, patting me on the shoulder and giving me a reassuring smile. I found myself smiling back, despite my trepidation. Yang always made me feel more at ease.

"So," Ruby said, standing behind Yang's chair. "How're you feeling this morning, Blake?"  
"Better," I replied, giving her a gentle smile. "I feel like I'm pretty much back to normal."  
"That's excellent news." Weiss said, standing next to Ruby. I couldn't help but notice the closeness developing between those two. I hadn't asked Yang about it, but I got the feeling that something was going on between the two of them. I'd seen people in love before—read about them at least—and they were _definitely_ in love with each other. But I didn't think they'd told each other, and I couldn't help but wonder why.

We sat in the room for a while, making idle small talk, until Professor Ozpin entered the room.  
"Blake," he said quietly. He paused to take a sip from his mug. "It's time. Are you ready?" I stood, sliding my chair back. Yang stood with, looking at me questioningly. Ruby and Weiss both looked concerned. I took a deep breath, centering myself.  
"Yes," I said, meeting Ozpin's gaze. "I'm ready."

"Good," he said, turning to close the door behind him. "This is something that we can do here, if you're comfortable." I nodded. The faster we could get it done, the better. "Are you okay with your teammates being here for it?"  
"What is actually going to happen?" I asked. I'd been worrying over that question for the past few days.  
"You've seen aura activation before?" He replied. I nodded; someone else had activated mine a long time ago. "Good, well to test if your aura is intact, and to reactivate it, we need to perform that ceremony. Is there anybody in particular that you'd like to perform it?"  
"Yang," I said without hesitation. I looked at Yang questioningly, raising an eyebrow. She hesitated for a moment but nodded.

"Okay then, Yang, do you know the words?" He asked, facing Yang. She nodded confidently. "Excellent. Blake, are you comfortable doing this here and with your teammates?"  
"Yes, I can't think of anywhere else to do it. And this is just as important to them as it is to me." My teammates stood behind me. Yang draped an arm over my shoulders, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

"Very well, then. We might as well get this over with. Shall we begin?"

Ozpin moved Ruby and Weiss back, sitting them down in the chairs by the window. Yang stood in front of me, her hands on my shoulders. Ozpin stood back, sipping his coffee quietly. I looked Yang in the eye and saw how nervous she was. I grabbed her wrists, squeezing them reassuringly.  
"Let's go, Yang." I said, smiling at her. "I trust you." Yang nodded, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

Dull warmth started burning in my shoulders from where Yang's hands were. I closed my eyes as the warmth began to spread through my body. It was a different feeling from what I remembered of having my aura activated the first time. That time had been cold and painful. This was warm, comforting, like Yang. Yang's aura, her soul, rushed through me, filling me with warmth. I felt my skin prickling, goose bumps rising on my arms. I felt myself, without any conscious effort, reaching out to Yang, trying to touch her aura with mine.

I tried to reach out with my aura as the warmth spread to my toes, filling my entire body with Yang's warmth. But I struggled, something was blocking my aura. I began to panic as I realised I couldn't reach her. I was trapped. I felt claustrophobic, pushing with all my might against the walls that confined me. My heart was beating viciously, it felt like it was about to leap out of my. I couldn't move my body; Yang's aura was holding me in place. In my mind I railed against the bars that held my aura, I couldn't remember a time where I couldn't control it. It terrified me.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality." Yang's voice echoed in my ears. I felt my heart slow down as her words reverberated through every bone in my body. I breathed in deeply, Yang's scent filling my nostrils. I saw red through my eyelids—Yang's aura was no doubt blazing—for a few seconds before my vision cut off. It wasn't that I couldn't see, but it was as if my eyes were disconnected from my mind.

"Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all," I lost all sense of my body. My mind drifted through darkness. It was as if my mind was floating on the surface of an impossibly dark ocean, bobbing helplessly in eternal darkness with no tether to life. Yang's voice sent ripples across the surface of the water. My mind saw only darkness, felt only the crushing pressure of the confines that held my soul and heard only Yang's voice. Her light, caring, loving voice was all that anchored me to reality.

"Infinite in distance and unbound by death," Yang's voice rang out again, shaking more than just the water around my mind. It shook the very space itself. The air around me seemed to crack and rays of golden light shone through, casting a light on the darkness. I swam, for there was no better to describe it, towards the light. I fought to reach Yang. Even in this eternal darkness her light guided me home.

"I release your soul," I felt the world shift, twisting around. The cracks grew, the light shining ever brighter. I reached out to it, grasping at the light. The pressure of the confines shifted with the darkness, lifting off me. An immense weight lifted off my shoulders, letting me reach even further.

"And by my shoulder protect thee," The world of darkness that surrounded me froze, as if tensing with baited breath. Then the entire void ruptured, the golden light blasting its way in. I lay back, bathing in the light of Yang's aura, Yang's soul. I felt the light pull me, lifting me away from the dark lake, lifting me higher, and higher, and closer to Yang.

I slammed back into my body, almost reeling from the shock of what had just happened. I opened my eyes and looked at Yang. She was standing in front of me, her hands still on my shoulders. She looked perfectly normal: her smile, her hair, and her eyes. It all looked normal, except for one thing. She was surrounded by a blinding golden light, burning like the sun itself. I had to squint, shielding my eyes from the pillar of conflagration that was Yang.

The light began to die as Yang stepped back, her arms dropping to her sides. She hunched over, looking exhausted, before lifting herself up to look at me. A smile broke out on her face as I met her gaze, a smile of pure and utter joy. I glanced down at my own body and say the familiar black glow of my aura surrounding me. I looked back up, returning Yang's smile, before directing a smile of relief at Ruby and Weiss. They both stood at the window grinning. Well, Ruby was grinning, Weiss was giving me a crooked smile, pulling up one side of her mouth.

The glow that surrounded me died as Ozpin stepped towards me. Yang stepped further away, her own aura dwindling away as she did. I watched with joy as the glow around me faded, I could still feel my aura. The prison around it, the confinement that had panicked me only moments earlier, was gone.

"Well done, Blake." Ozpin said happily, giving me his own smile. "It appears you've made a full recovery." My knees trembled at his words, but I managed to hold them steady. I was going to be okay. I could still be a Huntress. _I could still be with Yang. _I wouldn't have to leave Beacon after all. I let out a deep sigh of relief before almost getting bowled over as Ruby flung herself at me, wrapping her arms around me.

"Blake, you're okay!" she squealed, squeezing tightly. I coughed lightly and tugged on her arms, she was really making it difficult to breathe. She jumped back, clasping her hands in front of her, grinning from ear to ear. I smiled back for an instant before Yang swept me up in her arms.

Yang's crushing grip was overwhelming and painful, yet strangely soothing. I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her gently.  
"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered in my ear. "I don't know what I'd have done without you."  
"Looks like you're stuck with me for a little while longer." I replied. Yang chuckled.  
"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Professor Ozpin led the way down the hall, towards one of the sparring rooms.  
"While you may have recovered your aura," he had said. "We still need to test its capabilities. We need to make sure it works like it used to, and that there were no effects on your semblance." And so we'd headed to a sparring room. I was dressed in my combat outfit for the first time in days, and Gambol Shroud was strapped to my back once more.

I ran my hand over Gambol Shroud's handle fondly. Now that I had it back I realised how much I'd missed it. Gambol Shroud had been like an ever-present companion: always dependable and had saved my life on countless occasions.

I pulled up short as we reached the sparring room. Ozpin held the door open for me with a smile. Yang gave me a reassuring smile as I stepped over the threshold.

There were sparring dummies set up on one side of the room, and an empty sparring mat on the other. I made my way over to the dummies, standing at the ready.  
"Are you ready?" Ozpin asked. I answered with a nod and drew Gambol Shroud. "Well," he continued. "Whenever you feel ready, you may begin."

I took off running, straight through the centre of the dummies. Gambol Shroud flashed from side to side as I ran, cutting into the thick hide that covered the dummies. When I reached the centre of them I began _shifting_ around and between them. My shadows blurred around me as I carved my way across the room, phasing from place to place.

I reached the other side of the room within a minute. I turned back to face the others as I sheathed Gambol Shroud. Ruby was looking at me in awe, Weiss looked mildly impressed—high praise from her—and Yang was looking at me with an amused, but proud, smile.  
"Well," Yang said. "It looks like she's just fine." I found myself smiling back. It _did_ feel good to be able to fight again. "So," Yang said with a twisted grin. "You up for a spar?" I couldn't help but laugh.  
"Sure," I answered, throwing her an eye roll.

With an excited cry, Yang dashed over to the sparring mat and deployed Ember Celica. She waved me over, gesturing to hurry. I shook my head as I made my way over, Yang truly was incorrigible. I stood on the opposite side of the mat, facing Yang, and drew Gambol Shroud once more. Ruby took up a place in between us, acting as the officiator.  
"Everybody ready?" she asked, looking at Yang and I. When we both nodded she stepped back, off the mat.  
"Ready… Begin!"

Yang and I leapt at each other at Ruby's call. Yang swung her right fist at me, going right on the offensive. I brought up Gambol Shroud and knocked Ember Celica to the side, causing Yang to over-extend and step slightly off balance. I stabbed at her exposed side, a smile already forming on my face. Yang and I had never sparred before, and I never dreamed she would've been this easy to beat.

My smile was cut short as her left hand swung in and knocked my lunge aside. I growled at myself, I'd forgotten about the other gauntlet. Yang's interception knocked my right hand over to my left, spinning me around in a circle. I followed the spin and landed on the balls of my feet, facing Yang. She grinned before lunging forward again.

Rather than blocking this time, I used my shadows to phase behind Yang and slash at her exposed back. But she'd followed my movements and dove into a forward roll, coming up a few feet away and spinning to face me again. I lunged forward this time, stabbing forward with Gambol Shroud. Yang's fist crashed into the side of the blade and sent my blow wide. I phased away from her counter attack, trying to get behind her.

We continued exchanging blows, back and forth. Neither of us hit the other, we always managed to block at the last second or get out of the way. Sparks flew as my blade skittered off Yang's armoured gauntlets, the ground shook when Yang punched it. Sweat started dripping down my face and into my eyes. I couldn't see properly and my eyes stung, making it difficult to continue. I whipped around Yang, going to end the fight quickly. As I phased around to what I thought was behind her, I saw her fist rocketing towards my face and ducked.

I came up, swinging Gambol Shroud at Yang's neck and pulled up short. Yang and I gazed into each other's eyes, panting. Gambol Shroud's blade was hovering half an inch from her neck, the barrel of the right hand gauntlet of Ember Celica was right in front of my eyes.  
"I guess we'll call that a draw." Yang said with smile. She stepped back, putting Ember Celica away as I sheathed Gambol Shroud.

"Well done, both of you." Ozpin said, a grin spreading over his face. "That was a well-fought bout. But, the good news we can take form this is: Miss Belladonna seems to be perfectly well recovered." I smiled, he was right. I was still a little tired, probably from having my aura reactivated like that. "Now," Ozpin continued, growing serious. "You four need to get back onto the mission I assigned you. I'd advise you take tomorrow off to recover, to make sure Blake is back to _full_ strength. Then, you four need to get back to your investigation. I trust you and Miss Schnee can fill the others in?" He asked Ruby, who nodded.

"Uh, Professor Ozpin," she began, raising her hand.  
"Good!" Ozpin said, cutting Ruby off. "I'll expect a report on your progress in a few days' time. Until then, I wish you the best of luck." And with that he left the room, leaving a speechless Ruby staring at the swinging door, her hand still hanging in the air.


	18. Chapter 18: Back to Work

**Blake**

I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath. I could feel the morning breeze blowing through my hair, and the dawning sun's warmth caressing my skin. It felt good to be outside again. My days stuck in the infirmary, days spent just waiting for Yang, had affected me more than I'd thought. I felt strangely liberated, as if I'd spent the last few days imprisoned in a dark cell. _I guess I was, _I thought,_ in a way. I _was_ in a coma. _I froze suddenly. _Did I just make a joke? _Maybe I really did need to get out more; I'd clearly been spending too much time with Yang. She was beginning to rub off on me.

I took another breath, inhaling the scents around me. The familiar scents of my teammates, mixed with the sweeter scent of the trees in Forever Fall Forest. I opened my eyes as I exhaled. We were standing at the top of the wall that surrounded Vale, just next to Forever Fall Forest. This was where Weiss and Ruby had gone on the morning of the day I woke up. This was where Ruby had her apparent mental breakdown.

"So what happened to Ruby the last time you were here?" I asked as I turned to Weiss. I'd heard a rough summary of what had transpired while I was unconscious, but not many details.  
"We were walking along the bottom of the wall," Weiss answered as she peered through the parapets at the ground below. "Then suddenly she freaked out, swinging her scythe around and screaming about some whistling she could hear. And before you ask: no. I couldn't hear it."

I pursed my lips in thought. I couldn't imagine Ruby losing her composure like that, at least not without a good reason. I glanced over at Ruby as I pondered. She was talking animatedly to Yang, a wide grin on her face. She seemed like her usual, cheerful self, but apparently she'd been much quieter and more reserved before I woke up.

"Ruby!" I called. She looked around for a second, looking lost, before she noticed me waving her over. Yang followed her as she joined Weiss and I with a smile. She covered the last steps towards with a small jump and straightened up as she landed next to me.  
"Hey, what's up?" she asked.  
"Do you remember anything from the last time you and Weiss were here?" I asked. I took an ever so subtle step away from Ruby as she scrunched her face up in thought. She was standing _right_ next to me.

"No, sorry," she said as she shook her head apologetically. "I remember getting to the bottom of the wall, and then waking up in the infirmary."  
"So," I said. "What do we know about this thing?"  
"What thing?" Weiss asked in reply.  
"Whatever it was that affected Ruby like that."  
"We don't even know if there _is _anything."  
"Okay, point taken. But, for the sake of our safety, let's assume there is. What do we know about it?"

"Well," Weiss mumbled. "We know that it doesn't affect me. I was literally holding Ruby while she was screaming about it."  
"But it might simply take a while to take effect. So maybe you didn't spend long enough in its range." I added.  
"Either way, it's a helpful point."  
"Exactly,"  
"It wipes memories!" Yang burst out. I looked at her with a small smile, she must've been feeling left out.

"Yes, it also wipes memories." I said.  
"If we assume it takes a while to take effect, then it must wipe all memories the victim had leading up to and during its effect on them." Weiss was certainly good at figuring things like this out.  
"Well, there's not really anything else we know about it, so we'd best just get going." I said. "But I think we should rotate who spends more time closer to the wall. We still need someone to inspect it, and if there's a delay to the effect then we can avoid it by swapping who's within its range."

"Awesome!" Ruby yelled. She stepped up onto the railing of the wall and posed heroically on one of the parapets. "Team RWBY's first solo mission _begins!_" As Yang rushed forward to pull Ruby away from the edge I saw two wall guards approaching, both carrying ropes. We exchanged greetings as they set up the ropes, and Yang managed to drag Ruby off the parapet and back where she couldn't kill herself quite as easily.

"Do we need ropes to get down?" Yang asked. She was holding a struggling and kicking Ruby in a headlock as she calmly asked her question, her tone suggesting that nothing was out of the ordinary. I held a hand to my face and shook my head. _Those two are just as bad as each other, _I thought, half amused and half frustrated. The guards were looking at Yang like she'd just suggested that the moon was made of Ursa droppings.

"How else will you get down?" One of them asked in a concerned voice. Yang laughed, letting go of Ruby and pounding her chest.  
"I don't need ropes. _I _have a landing strategy!"  
"A what?" the guard asked blankly. Yang sighed and took a step towards the edge of the wall. She stepped up onto the parapet she had just dragged Ruby off moments before and faced us. With a grin, Yang extended her arms out to her sides, toppled backwards and disappeared from view.

We all, including the guards, rushed to the edge and peered over. We looked down just in time to see Yang kick off the wall and flip through the air. She reached the trees and used one to slow her descent before leaping off and turning her landing into a forward roll. She came up from her roll, waved up at her audience and performed an exaggerated bow. I shared an eye roll with Weiss and, before anyone could comment, vaulted over the parapet after Yang.

I flipped as I cleared the wall and dove headfirst towards the ground. The wind tore at my hair, whipping it around behind my head. When I was halfway down I flipped again, kicked off the wall, and landed lithely on the branch of a tree. I brushed my clothes off, getting rid of any stray leaves, and jumped down, landing next to Yang. She grinned at me as I approached.  
"Nice entrance," she said. I smiled in reply and looked up, just in time to see Ruby and Weiss land a few feet away from us.

Ruby was wearing an excited grin while Weiss wore a small scowl.  
"That was fun!" Ruby squealed. Weiss reached out and flicked her on the forehead.  
"Calm down," Weiss said commandingly. Ruby let out a loud squeak and rubbed her forehead, pouting all the while.

"So," Yang said as she looked around. "Where should we start?"  
"Well the spot where Ruby uh… went insane… is a bit further along that way." Weiss answered, pointing to our left. "So I guess we should head that way first."  
"It's as good a place to start as any." Yang said, leading the way. "I'll stay near the wall first."

We all followed Yang, making sure to stay near the edge of the forest. I watched Yang for any signs of distress while Ruby and Weiss watched the forest for any Grimm. Yang was strutting along the wall, dragging her hand along it. I caught myself eyeing the swaying of her hips and tracing her curves with my eyes. Yang caught me too. She glanced over, saw I was staring and smirked at me.

"See something you like?" She called out. I looked away hastily, feeling my cheeks growing warm. "You're allowed to look Blake! Just give me some warning before you start touching!" I rolled my eyes, trying to seem contemptuous, but I felt my cheeks grow even hotter. Yang let out a loud laugh and I shot her a glare in return. She feigned a look of terror and held up her hands to shield herself. Despite my efforts to be mad at her, I felt a smile tug at the corner of my mouth.

I tore my gaze away from Yang and looked at Weiss and Ruby. The two of them were watching me, amused smirks on their faces.  
"Oh not you too," I groaned. Ruby's smirk broke into a grin as she giggled. "How much further do we have to go?" I asked Weiss, trying to change the subject.

Weiss looked around, inspecting the ground around us.  
"I think it was here." She muttered. "Yeah, it was. She broke down just over there." She pointed to the mound of grass that Yang was standing on. Yang took a step back, inspecting the ground.  
"Well I'm fine," she said. She looked up at us, putting her hands on her hips. "I can't hear anything." Weiss frowned in thought for a few seconds before walking over to Yang and standing on the spot she'd pointed out.  
"I don't either."

"Well maybe it takes a while to have any effect." I said, heading over towards them. "Maybe you can't hear it until…" The world swam before my eyes, contorting and twisting. I felt myself fall to my knees but could do nothing to stop it. I couldn't feel anything below my shoulders. My head was ringing with an incessant, high-pitched whistling, more like a shriek. Through my blurred vision I could see a dark blur rushing towards me. There was Grimm here! In my addled terror, I lashed out, afraid of what was coming towards me.

My blow was knocked aside and whatever it was that was attacking me wrapped its arms around me, throwing me backwards. As I sailed through the air my mind cleared. Like a fog blown away in a gust of wind, I could see again. I hit the ground with a thud, sliding several meters before coming to a stop. I gasped for breath as I dragged myself to my feet. Yang was running towards me, looking terrified.  
"Blake!" She yelled. "Are you okay?" I stood up, holding a hand out to her.  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
"What happened?" She asked in a worried voice as she reached me. Before I had time to answer, she wrapped me in her arms, knocking my breath out of my lungs. I beat at her shoulders as I gasped for breath, trying to make her let go. She stepped back, peering into my eyes. I breathed in deeply before trying to answer.

"Well," I began, still gasping for breath. "There's definitely some sort of whistling, and it doesn't take long to kick in."  
"Could you hear it?" Weiss asked. Yang reached out and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.  
"Yeah," I said, leaning on Yang. "I could hear it. And I pretty much lost control of my body, couldn't think or see straight. And when Yang ran towards me all I could see was a monster."  
"A monster?" Yang asked, sounding somewhat hurt.  
"I'd guess that's why Ruby attacked Weiss, she saw her as a Grimm while it was messing with her head."  
"Oh," Yang said. "Well that makes sense."

"So what do we do know?" Ruby asked. She was standing next Weiss, but was looking towards the wall. "We need to find out what's causing this right?"  
"We need to investigate how the Beowolf got into the city." Weiss said. "We can report this to Professor Ozpin, but it's not our mission right now."  
"One thing I want to know," Yang said to Weiss. "Why did it affect Ruby and Blake, but not us?" Weiss paused, looking down thoughtfully.  
"Like I said, it doesn't matter. We need to find out how the Beowolf got in."

"I want to look into this." Ruby said. Her voice carried an air of finality to it, one that stopped Weiss protests before they really began. Instead she just sighed, hanging her head in defeat. She knew as well as the rest of us that once Ruby set her mind to something, no one could change her mind.  
"Fine," Weiss groaned. "But you and Blake will have to stay back here. Yang and I don't seem to be affected by it, so we'll look into it." Ruby hesitated for a second. I knew she'd want to be the one to look into it. But eventually she nodded. Even she could tell it was the only option.

Yang's arm was still around my shoulders and she gave me a quick, one-armed hug before letting go and following Weiss. I walked over to the tree line with Ruby, we both sat down with our backs to one of the trees. We didn't have anything to do but wait for them to find something, and keep a look out for any Grimm that could come near. So I drew Gambol Shroud and rested the blade across my knees. I watched Weiss and Yang for a few seconds as they inspected the wall before returning my attention to the forest.

"Hey Blake," Ruby said thoughtfully. I twisted around, peering around the tree to look at her. Ruby was gazing up at the sky, watching the passing clouds. "I think Yang likes you."

I nearly choked.  
"What!" I yelled. When Yang and Weiss looked over at us, concerned, I waved them away, telling them everything was fine. "What?" I hissed at Ruby as they returned to inspecting the wall.  
"I think Yang likes you." She said matter-of-factly. "I've seen how she acts around someone she likes, and she's definitely acting like she likes you." I just stared at her blankly. I had no idea what to say.

"Blake?" Ruby called my name and peered around the tree at me. She's clearly noticed my extended silence. She crawled around and sat against the tree directly in front of me. "Are you okay?" I shook myself out of my shock and nodded.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I said, feigning a smile. In truth, I was in shock. Did Yang _actually_ have feelings for me? "What makes you think that?" Ruby shrugged as she turned her gaze to her sister.  
"I don't know. Just something about how she acts around you. She always seems happier, for one."

"Is that so?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could. If Yang hadn't said anything to her, then it was pure speculation. And there was no point in worrying, even thinking, about it.  
"What are you going to do about it?" she asked, gazing into my eyes. I raised an eyebrow at her.  
"I don't see how that's any of your business." I replied with a one-sided smile, to let her know I wasn't upset by her asking. "How about we just let Yang make up her own mind? Then we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it."

Ruby broke into a grin and nodded as she turned her gaze back to the sky.  
"I guess you're right," she said. "I think you two would make a cute couple though."  
I was glad Ruby was looking at the sky when she said that, because there was no way she'd ever miss the crimson the flooded my cheeks.

* * *

I sat with my back to the tree and eyed the forest intently. I hadn't seen any signs of Grimm in the half an hour that I'd been sitting there, but it never paid to lose vigilance in the field. Ruby was still sitting at the tree across from me, but she'd dozed off fifteen minutes ago. Our earlier conversation was still floating around at the back of my mind, like a fly that never left you alone.

I really didn't believe that Yang had any feelings for me, despite Ruby's words. Yang didn't seem like the type who would talk to her little sister about her feelings, instead she'd just talk to Ruby about Ruby's. But still, it made me wonder. What if she _did_ have feelings for me? What would I do? _Stop it Blake,_I berated myself, _it doesn't matter. Worry about that when it _actually_ happens; _if_ it ever happens. _

I glanced over at Yang and Weiss. They'd inspected the wall all around the spot where the whistling seemed to be coming from and were now inspecting the ground around the wall. I watched them for several seconds before I realised I was staring at Yang again. I tore my eyes away, looking at the forest. The mass of red-leaved trees stretched on for as far as the eye could see. I lost myself in its beauty, the crimson colouration and the towering trunks blending hypnotically.

Yang let out a shout and I spun around to look at her. Weiss was rushing over to her as Yang jumped up and down on the spot. She was standing on a spot near the base of the wall, off to the side of where I'd heard the whistling.  
"What is it?" I called out.  
"I've found a trap door!" Yang yelled in reply as she reached down and dug at the ground. Lumps of grass and dirt soared through the air as she tore at the ground around her.  
"Should I wake Ruby up?" I asked.  
"Yes," Weiss answered, looking up from Yang's excavation. "She'd want to see this."

I walked over to Ruby and knelt at her side. She was snoring lightly, her breath gently rushing in and out of her mouth. As I knelt down beside her I rested a hand on her shoulder, shaking it gently. Her only reaction was to take a slightly heavier breath and scrunch up her nose. When I shook her again, with more force, she toppled over and continued to snore, with half of her face covered with dirt.  
"Uh Yang," I called out, eyeing the still figure of the apparently comatose Ruby. "How do I wake her up?"  
"Is she that far out _again_?"  
"I guess so."

"Pick her up and sit her against the tree." Yang said with a sigh. "Here, catch this." She called out as I propped Ruby up. She tossed me a chocolate chip cookie, one that I caught with a bemused look.  
"Are you serious?"  
"Yes… Break it half under her nose and drop it in her lap. Once you do I'd advise you to take a step or two back." I did as she said, breaking it in half and dropping it. I saw Ruby's nose twitch as I stepped back. She inhaled deeply, as if smelling a flower. With a blur of red and a loud crunch, Ruby rocketed to her feet, shoving the cookie on her mouth. As I watched in shock, Ruby looked around like an excited puppy.

"What's going on?" she asked after she swallowed the cookie.  
"We found a trap door." Yang called out to her as she turned back to her digging. "Are you going to help?" she asked, looking up at Weiss.  
"No, no," Weiss replied with a small smile. "You look like you're doing just fine."  
"Typical," Yang grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"There we go!" Yang shouted as she stood up. From where I was I could see a gleam of metal amongst the grass, she'd clearly uncovered a steel trap door. "Well, I guess we'd better give it a look." Ruby began to run towards them, an excited grin on her face, until I grabbed her by the arm and stopped her short.  
"Have you already forgotten why we're looking into this Ruby?" I asked. She looked at me blankly, cocking her head to the side. "The whistling? The one that seems to drive the two of us insane? Ring any bells?" I asked.  
"Oh yeah!" she said brightly, scratching the back of her head embarrasedly. "Ha-ha, my bad." I just rolled my eyes at her, turning back to Yang. She was opening the trap door. Its hinges creaked loudly as she lifted it and flipped it over, revealing a gaping hole.

"Will you two be okay to check it out alone?" I asked them.  
"Of course,"  
"Absolutely," They both seemed confident, so I nodded.  
"Alright, just be careful." I called out.  
"Yeah!" Ruby shouted. "We just got out of the infirmary. I don't want to have to take you two back in!"

With a laugh and a wave of her hand, Yang disappeared into the darkness.  
"We'll try and be back within an hour." Weiss called out. "And if anything happens, I'll call you." She added, holding up her tablet.  
"Okay!" Ruby yelled back. "Be careful Weiss."  
"You too Ruby," Weiss said as she made her own way below ground.

The silence that they left behind hung in the air, surrounding us.  
"What do I have to be careful for?" Ruby asked the air around us. "We're just sitting here."  
"She probably thinks you'll find some way to hurt yourself regardless." I answered. I tried to hide a smile as I mentally kicked myself. _I really am turning into Yang._ Ruby pouted up at me for a few seconds before she saw my smile fighting its way across my cheeks. Then she broke into a grin of her own.

"So what do we do now?" Ruby asked.  
"I guess we should go wait at the top of the wall. There's no point waiting down here for a monster to attack." I said, turning away from the trapdoor. Ruby took the lead as we made our way around the trapdoor, back towards the wall. I glanced back at the hole as we were hoisted up the wall by the two guards. I knew that Yang had Weiss to watch her back. But I couldn't help but worry.


	19. Chapter 19: A Horrific Discovery

**Weiss**

I kept my eyes on the stairs in front of me as I followed Yang into the darkness. The light from outside grew fainter as we moved further into the tunnel. I lost sight of Yang, who was only a few metres in front of me, when I reached the bottom of the stairs. The tunnel had a gradual downward slope and curved gently to the right. The curve of the tunnel cut off more of the light as I walked down it and within a minute I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.

I walked slowly into the darkness, sliding my hand along the wall. I looked around me, trying to make out any shapes at all. But I saw nothing but black. The only sound was the sound of my own footsteps. I pulled up short as I realised I couldn't hear Yang's footsteps anymore.

"Yang," I called out tentatively. "Are you still there?"  
"Yeah," a voice whispered from ahead of me. "Where are you?"  
"I'm right behind you."  
"I can't see anything in here. Walk towards my voice."

I took a slow step forward. My right hand dragged along the wall and my left hand reached out in front of me. I heard my gentle footsteps echoing off the walls around me as I moved forward. Then I felt my hand bump into Yang and came to a halt.  
"So do we keep going?" Yang asked. "I don't know how long this goes on, and we can't see a damn thing."  
"Well, if there's a tunnel, it has to lead somewhere." I said. I sat down, sliding down the wall and wrapping my arms around my knees. "We should probably keep going. Ruby will be disappointed if we don't find anything."  
"Well that is true."

Yang sat down next to me with a thud. I could feel her arm pressing lightly against mine. She let out a heavy sigh.  
"I guess you're right. We should probably keep looking." She muttered.  
"I've never heard of tunnels being underneath Vale." I said as I shifted Myrtenaster. The hilt was digging into my side. "I'm getting concerned about it myself now. We should find out what it is."  
"What do you mean?" Yang asked. "You think this is like some secret evil base or something?"  
"It's a possibility." I said with a sigh. "The White Fang has a base in or around Vale _somewhere_, and that Roman Torchwick character is holed up somewhere as well."

Yang sighed and picked herself up.  
"I guess you're right." She said. I felt her grab me by the wrist and hoist me up. "Come on, we should go and check it out." Yang held onto my wrist as she pulled me down the hallway. I opened my mouth to tell her to let go, but I held back. It was probably a good idea. We didn't know what we'd be facing at the end of this tunnel, and we didn't want to get separated.

And so we wandered on in darkness. It was silent but for the sounds of our footsteps and our breathing. We walked for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was probably only a few minutes. The tunnel still curved to the right and was still sloping downwards. I found myself wondering how far below ground we were.

I looked up as I noticed light coming from ahead of us. I could finally make out Yang's silhouette against the light. I could see again! We rushed towards the light, grateful to have finally found the way out. The tunnel straightened out and we saw of the end of the tunnel, an arch of light in the darkness.

I closed my eyes as we ran out of the tunnel. After having spent so long in utter darkness, the light was blinding. I blinked a few times and squinted, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the brightness. I gasped as my eyes focussed on what lay before us.

We'd come out at the top of a massive staircase overlooking a vast, cavernous room. It was probably about the same size as Beacon's main hall. The room was illuminated by dim, orange lights. I took a step forward, peering down at the scene before us.

There were rows upon rows of cages filling the room. Hundreds of them lined the walls of the room and hundreds more were stacked up in rows across the room. The room was filled with the sounds of snarls, growls and vicious roars. I gasped in shock and clapped a hand over my mouth as I realised that each and every one of those cages was filled with a Grimm.

Hundreds of Beowolves, Boarbatusks and Ursa locked in the cages. They were all roaring and beating against their bars. In one corner of the room I saw a gigantic mesh cage holding a King Taijitu. The snake was eyeing the monsters around it hungrily, not moving.

I took a step back in horror, bumping into Yang. I looked up at her as she grabbed onto me to keep me from falling over. Her face was pale, her lilac eyes wide. She was staring down at the room before us with her jaw hanging loosely and her shoulders slack. I felt my knees tremble as I righted myself.

I opened my mouth, trying to force out words, any words. I tried to say something to settle my own nerves as much as Yang's. But I couldn't say a thing. My heart was in my throat, and it seemed to block any speech. So I just stared up at Yang blankly, my mouth moving up and down like a drowning fish.

"What the hell is this?" Yang whispered. She took a step into the room and stopped, looking down the stairs. She turned her head from side to side, looking at all the cages on either side of us. I could hear the horror in her voice. "What the _hell_ is this?"

I took a step after her. I couldn't let her show me up in the face of something like this. _Move it Weiss. You are a Schnee. This is no time to stare and whimper like a coward. _I stiffened my shoulders and followed Yang. I forced down my horror at the scene before me and tried to think logically.

"Who would do something like this?" Yang whispered as I stepped up beside her.  
"I don't know." I said. I took a deep breath in another attempt to calm myself down. "But we need to find out. We also need to know why they're here." Yang's eyes focussed as my words snapped her out of her terrified reverie. She nodded.  
"Yeah, let's go." She said and began the long descent into the room.

I inspected the layout of the room as we made our way down the stairs. The floor of the room was filled with nothing but cages, which we'd already seen. I noticed a platform that was raised up on scaffolding on the far side of the room. From where I was, it looked like it had been set up to act as an office of sorts. Above the platform was a web of steel rafters that I realised was covering the entire ceiling. _This place _does_ look manmade,_ I thought, _I guess they need those to hold the ceiling up._

"Yang," I reached out and tapped Yang on the shoulder as I quietly called out her name. She stopped on the steps and looked up at me. "We should investigate over there." I said as pointed out the platform. She nodded and continued to lead the way down the stairs.

We both hesitated as we reached the bottom of the stairs. The only way to reach the platform now was to walk through the rows of cages. A few of the monsters near the stairs had noticed us and were roaring at us, beating at the bars of their cages. I looked up to meet Yang's gaze and she nodded reassuringly and headed down the aisle of cages. I swallowed nervously as I followed close behind her.

Monsters lashed out as we passed, beating on their cages and some squeezing their arms between the bars to lash out at us. We walked exactly in the centre of the aisle, trying to make ourselves as small as possible to avoid the flailing claws.

After far too long a time, we made it to the other side of the room. The din of the monster's cries had only grown louder as we'd crossed the room. _I guess that's to be expected,_ I thought as we emerged from the aisle. I gazed up at the platform in front of us. It looked a lot taller here than from the top of the stairs.

"Over there," Yang said. She was pointing to the left, at another staircase. It led up the side of the scaffolding and onto the platform at the top. I followed Yang up the stairs, trying to block out the cries of the furious monsters. Yang jogged up the stairs with her usual energy. She looked more like her normal self than she had since we'd left the tunnel.

I'd guessed right when I saw the platform from the stairs: it was being used as an office. There were benches and tables around the perimeter of the room, all of them covered with papers. I saw a map of Vale hanging on the wall, covered with arrows, markings and a ring drawn around Beacon.

I crossed to room to inspect the map while Yang began looking over the papers on the tables. The map was a detailed bird's eye view of Vale. There was a cross over an intersection in the streets near the wall with arrows fanning out from it. As I looked closer I realised that the mark was directly across the wall from where Yang and I had entered the tunnel. _So that mark is where we are,_ I thought, _and what're the arrows?_

"Weiss…" Yang muttered.  
"What is it?" I asked. I turned around just in time to see Yang stagger away from the table. Stacks of paper scattered through the air as she backed away.

"All of these monsters…" she said. I could hear the horror in her voice. "They're going to attack Vale."  
"What?" I ran towards the table. I grabbed some of the papers and studied them. "My God…" Yang was right.

I looked out at the stacks of cages, imagining them running rampant through Vale. An icy cold hand wrapped its fingers around my heart. Yang stood next to me, looking out at the monsters as well.  
"So… what do we do?" she muttered. I had no idea. There were _way_ too many monsters for Yang and I to deal with, too many for the four of us. We'd need all of _Beacon_ to deal with them all.

"Oh no…" I whispered as realisation hit me. That was why Beacon was circled on the map. Were they going to attack the school as well? "Who would do this?" I asked. "Who _could?_"  
"I don't know," Yang replied. "But we need to get out of here. We need to tell Professor Ozpin about this."  
"Of course, let's go."

A loud clang echoed through the room as we started down the stairs. We both froze mid-step as the sound bounced off the walls around us. Yang and I shared a panicked look, was someone coming? We both cast our gaze over the room, searching for the source of the noise. Directly in front of us I saw a massive steel portcullis begin to rise. Yang and I had nowhere to run. Anyone behind the portcullis would have a clear view of anywhere we went. I tugged Yang back up the stairs—hoping we wouldn't be seen at the top—to buy myself time to think. We reached the top and dropped to the floor. I crawled slowly towards the edge and peered over at the still rising portcullis.

I watched as a solitary man walked into the room. I ducked my head slightly to hide, but now the edge of the platform obscured my view of him. I couldn't see him clearly enough to make out any details, and I doubted I'd be able to recognise him if he was someone I knew. All I could make out was the colour of his clothes, white shoes and a tailored suit which started white at the bottom and gradually darkened to black at the top; and his hair, a deathly pale white.

The man took a few steps into the room and stopped, turning back to face the way he'd come. I cast my gaze back at the portcullis just in time to see a woman emerge from its shadow. She looked like a moving pillar of water, wearing a shimmering dress of vibrant blue. She approached the man and wrapped both of her arms around one of his, pressing herself against him. Even from where I was I could see that there was no fear in the action, she wasn't cowering behind him, it was a gesture of affection. The lack of fear began to seem strange to me when a hulking Death Stalker followed them into the room.

I gaped at the pair as they stood facing it calmly, with no traces of fear between them. The Death Stalker was _huge_, larger than the one we'd faced during our initiation. I almost leapt up and shouted for the two of them to run, but I froze as the Death Stalker stopped in front of them. It just stood there, facing them. It gazed straight into the man's eyes, and he brazenly met its gaze without even a tremor of fear. He was relaxed and nonchalant. I couldn't believe it, why was it not attacking them?

I watched on in shock as the man pulled himself out of the woman's grasp and patted the Death Stalker on the head. _Is he mad? _I thought. _He'll be killed! _But the Death Stalker just stood there, unmoving. The man turned to the woman and kissed her on the cheek.  
"Take this one downstairs and put it with the others." A deep voice said. It had to be the man's voice. The woman and began to walk away, the Death Stalker following her calmly. "Then get yourself some rest," the man called to her. "We attack from the forest at dawn."  
"Of course Myrka," The woman replied.

I watched the Death Stalker follow the woman for a few seconds before I realised the man was approaching to stairs that led to where Yang and I were hiding. I scooted back, terrified. I had no idea who this man was, but someone with that kind of power over Grimm was a power to be reckoned with. I looked around in a rush, searching for somewhere to hide. Yang grabbed me by the hand and pointed upwards. The web of rafters that supported the ceiling was well within jumping distance from where we were. I nodded to her and, with the help of a glyph cast on the floor, leapt upwards.

We swung into the rafters and began creeping along them. I thought over what the man had said as we made our way slowly towards the door we'd come in from. _Attack from the forest at dawn?_ They couldn't attack Vale from the forest: they'd need to get into the city.

The only place they could attack directly from Forever Fall was Beacon.

_We need to get back,_ I thought, increasing my pace. _We need to warn them. _I glanced behind me as I vaulted through a V-joint between two rafters. The man was studying the papers on the table intently. A chill shot up my spine as I realised we hadn't put the papers back. Some were still scattered on the floor. I ran even faster. We needed to get out before we were seen. He was bound to realise someone had been in here.

I leapt from the rafters, slowing my descent with a glyph, and rolled into the darkness of the tunnel we'd used to get here. Yang thundered into the ground before rocketing into the tunnel after me, shooting past me with a burst of speed. I heard a shout of rage echo through the room as I followed Yang down the tunnel. He'd seen us. He'd follow us. Or someone—something—would follow us.

Fear gave me speed as Yang and I fled down the tunnel. I couldn't hear any sounds of pursuit, but nor could I see anything. I ran as fast as I could and hoped I wouldn't knock into Yang.

I heard a distant snarl behind us and somehow ran faster. Something was finally coming after us, and it sounded like it was getting closer. All we could do was run, and hope we got out before it caught up.

I saw the light from the trapdoor coming around the corner at the same time as I felt a gust of wind swipe at my hair. Whatever was chasing us was _right_ behind me!

Drawing Myrtenaster, I spun around and slashed wildly. The beast let out a roar as I cut into its hide.  
"Run Yang!" I called out.  
"Are you sure?" she shouted back.  
"Get going!" I screamed as I readied myself to strike. "I'll be right behind you!"

I slowly retreated towards the exit. I kept my eyes on the darkness, but I couldn't see a thing. A claw flashed into the dim light, swiping viciously at my side. Myrtenaster rose to meet it and knocked the blow to the side. As the beast readied itself once more, I spun Myrtenaster's cylinder. I took another step back into the light and caught a glimpse of the monster's foot as it followed me. As soon as the Freeze Dust was loaded into the chamber I lunged forward, my foe swiping at me once again. The blow went over my head, my sudden lunge had been enough to avoid it, and I plunged Myrtenaster into the ground at the monster's feet. The Dust detonated and a thick wall of ice formed around it as I flipped away. The ice blocked off the entire tunnel, blocking all pursuit. I sheathed Myrtenaster as I turned to follow Yang out of the tunnel and into the light of day.


	20. Chapter 20: The Answers, Revealed

**Ruby**

I was leaning on one of the parapets, looking down at the trapdoor in the ground, when Yang came sprinting out of it. I called out to Blake as Yang stopped running and spun to face the trap door. _Where's Weiss?_ I thought. _Why isn't she coming out? _My heart was in my throat as I watched, waiting for Weiss to come out. But she didn't.

I leapt onto the parapet, ready to jump down and save Weiss, but Blake wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me back.  
"What're you doing?" I yelled. I struggled and kicked in an attempt to break free. "Let me go!" I yelled when I couldn't escape Blake's grip.  
"Stop it Ruby!" Blake yelled. She flipped over, so that she was on top of me, and pushed me into the floor. "Stop it!" she yelled again as I bucked, trying to push her off. "You can't go down there. You can't help them if you can't even get close to them."

I stopped fighting as I realised she was right and just laid limp on the floor. Blake rolled off to the side and laid next to me, panting. I pushed myself up and leant on the parapet again, gazing over the side.

Yang was still gazing into the tunnel. Weiss was still nowhere to be seen. I leant forward in a pointless attempt to look closer.  
"Yang, where's Weiss? Is she okay?" I called down to my sister. Yang looked up and gave me a thumbs up. _If she's okay, _I thought, _then why isn't she with you? _

I felt a tremor pass through the wall beneath my feet and saw Yang stumble slightly. I shared a worried look with Blake, who was looking down at Yang as well.  
"What was that?" she mumbled.  
"I don't know…" I whispered. _Is Weiss okay?_

My head whipped around as Yang let out a shout. I looked back down as Weiss emerged from the tunnel. She was cool, calm and collected, not a hair out of place. She exchanged a few, quiet words with Yang, but they were too far away for me to make them out. I itched to jump down to them. I itched to wrap Weiss in my arms. But I held myself back. I still remembered Blake's warning.

I watched as the two guards lowered down ropes for them and pulled them up the wall. I waited impatiently, hopping from one foot to the other, for Weiss to come over the parapet. I let out a mew of excitement as I caught a glimpse of her clambering over. I trembled while she untied the rope and passed it to the guard who'd pulled her up.

Then I dashed towards her, accidently bumping into Blake on my way past. I cried out Weiss' name as I ran towards her. She turned towards me, smiling, just in time for me to plough into her and wrap my arms around her. She stumbled back a step from the force of my hug. I heard a short laugh as she hugged me back.

I'd almost expected Weiss to push me away. But I wanted to hug her anyway. So I was surprised when I felt a pair of arms wrap around me in return. My heart filled near to bursting with joy as I felt her squeeze me back, just as tightly as I held her. I pressed my face into the curve of Weiss' neck and felt her rest her head on top of mine.

"I'm glad you're okay." I whispered to her. "I was scared."  
"Do you really think I'd go down that easily?" she asked me. I laughed and shook my head.

Weiss pulled back from the hug and held my face gently in her hands, wiping a tear off my cheek with her thumb. My heart raced as I realised how close our faces were. Her lips were inches from mine. My breath caught as Weiss' lips parted slightly and edged closer. My heart was in my throat as I gazed at her in anticipation. I closed my eyes and felt her soft, gentle lips press lightly against my forehead. _Wait… My forehead?_

I opened my eyes as Weiss pulled back and looked at her in surprise. She smiled and patted me on the head.  
"Don't worry about me, Ruby. I'll always come back for you." Weiss said. I looked up at her with conflicting emotions. For a second I'd thought that Weiss was going to kiss me, I'd hoped that she would. And I didn't know why I'd hope for that. Weiss and I were just friends. _Aren't we?_ I asked myself. _I mean, sure, we're close. But we're still just friends… _Even more confusing was the fact that the phrase 'just friends' seemed to drive a needle into my heart. But Weiss' words made me happy. _I'll always come back for you. _My heart filled with joy once more as those words and I found myself smiling back at her as I gazed into her beautiful, pale eyes.

I was pulled back to reality as Weiss pulled away and walked over to join Yang and Blake. I shook my head, trying to clear it, before joining them myself.  
"So what happened?" I asked as I approached. Weiss and Yang's faces fell and they shared an almost regretful look with each other.  
"We need to get back to Beacon as soon as we can." Weiss said. "It's about to be under attack."  
"W-what do you mean?" I stuttered. "Who's attacking it?"  
"We don't know," Yang answered. "But there's a cave filled with _hundreds _of Grimm underground. And plans to unleash them on Vale,"

Blake and I gaped at them in horror, lost for words.  
"Look," Weiss said with a ring of authority. "We can discuss this later. Right now, we need to tell Professor Ozpin. We can go through the details with him." I nodded, pushing down my own horror and focussed. Weiss was right: we needed to tell Professor Ozpin about this.  
"Okay," I said with a steady voice. I was beginning to focus. There was a job that needed doing. "Let's go."

* * *

We ran towards Beacon as fast as we could. The streets of Vale were surprisingly empty, which was helpful to us, but it seemed weird. I shook off my concern. We had more important things to worry about. Weiss and Yang had said that the attack was coming at dawn, but those involved could decide to bump up their schedule now that they'd been discovered.

We staggered through the doors of Beacon, each of us exhausted. But, with no time to rest, we forced ourselves to keep running. We all caught strange looks from the student we passed on the way, but we never slowed. Not until we skidded to a halt in front of Ozpin's office. We stood there for a minute, trying to catch our breath. Then, with a sigh, I knocked on the door.

There was no answer. I knocked again, with the same result. I looked at Weiss worriedly.  
"Uh… Does anyone have an idea where he might be?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. Sure enough, Yang, Blake and Weiss all shook their heads. "Right," I said with a heavy sigh. "Well, we need to find a teacher then."

We all turned back the way we'd come and began to run back down the hall. Our run didn't last very long. When I rounded the corner, I ran headfirst into… something. I looked up, dazed, at whatever had knocked me over and saw, not Professor Ozpin, but the next best thing. Glinda Goodwitch was standing over, and not looking too pleased. I cowered slightly as she glared down at me. Then I remembered why we were running and shot to my feet.

"Beacon's going to be under attack!" I said hurriedly. Her expression didn't change at all. She just looked at me silently. "Uh… Someone's going to attack Beacon tomorrow morning, but they know that we know, so it might even happen today." I blushed and hunched my shoulders slightly under her continued gaze.  
"They have an army of Grimm," Weiss interjected. I breathed a sigh of relief as Goodwitch's gaze turned to Weiss. _Thank you Weiss,_ I thought. "And the man in charge, whoever he is, seems to be able to control them somehow."

Goodwitch's eyes narrowed at Weiss' words. It was the first time her expression had changed at all since I'd bumped into her. She looked back at me and nodded approvingly. I swelled with pride as she turned away from us.  
"Come with me." She said as she led the way down the hall.

We followed her as she wove her way through the school, turning down hallways and taking us through doors with not a trace of hesitation as to which way to go. _How does she know where we're going?_ I thought as she took us down the eighth seemingly random hallway. But she clearly did know where she was going because within five minutes of leaving Professor Ozpin's office, we were lined up on a balcony, standing in front of him.

"…and that's all we found out, sir." Weiss finished explaining the day's events, in detail, to Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch. Ozpin nodded and took a sip from his mug as he looked away, deep in thought. It was the first time that I'd heard the details of what had happened to Weiss and Yang while they were underground, and I was gaping at them in shock.

"They had a _Death Stalker_?" I gasped. "And it was just standing there? Doing what he said?"  
"Yes, Ruby." Weiss said. "He also said he had more of them." I thumped to the ground and sat there, cross-legged, gazing disbelievingly at Weiss. She squatted next to me with a frown. "Come on Ruby. Get up. We don't have time for this." She whispered. I met her gaze and nodded as she patted me on the shoulder. She was right. We didn't have time to be overwhelmed. Things needed doing, and we had to do them.

"Are you sure it was Myrka?" Ozpin asked. He was standing at the edge of the balcony with his back to us, gazing out over Vale.  
"Pardon sir?" Weiss asked.  
"The name you heard," he said, turning back to face us. "Are you sure it was Myrka?"  
"Yeah," Yang said. "I'm sure of it. We didn't get a last name, or the name of the woman with him, but it was definitely Myrka." Ozpin turned away from us again with a sigh.

"Professor," I began. I got to my feet and tried to focus once more. "Have you heard of this guy?"  
"Yes, Ruby, you could say that." Ozpin took another drink from his mug as he leant on the balcony's railing. "Myrka Vald is the man you saw in that cave. He was a student here at Beacon until five years ago, when I was forced to expel him."  
"Expel him?" I asked, shocked. "What did you expel him for?"

Professor Ozpin turned back to face us once more before answering, taking a few steps forward in and standing just in front of us.  
"I expelled him for killing a fellow student." He said in a solemn tone. The four of us let out a gasp at his words. I gaped at him wordlessly.  
"He _killed _someone?" Yang asked.  
"Well, not directly." Ozpin said. "If I'm going to explain this properly, I'd better tell you the whole story."

"Myrka Vald," he began. "He came to Beacon eight years ago to become a Hunter. He was a gifted student, not exceptional, but certainly in the top ten students of his year group. He was an interesting student. He was the only person I've ever seen who fought Grimm, and won _every_ time, without ever using a weapon."

"No weapon?" I asked. "How could he possibly beat monsters without a weapon?" Ozpin smiled ruefully before answering. His answer, when it came, was surprising, to say the least.  
"He didn't need one. And, before you ask, no; he didn't fight with Dust. He was unique in that he was capable of fighting, and defeating monsters, purely with his semblance."  
"His semblance?" Yang muttered.

"Yes, his semblance." Ozpin said. The rueful smile was still on his face. "He possesses the most unique, and perhaps one of the most powerful, semblances I've ever seen. He has the power to distract, weaken and subdue Grimm with his mind."  
"Wow…" I whispered.  
"Wow indeed. That was the general opinion of him on campus during his time here. No one on his team ever got injured before the incident. I could probably count the number of time they were _hit_ by monsters at all on the finger of one hand. He was very close to his teammates, they were all inseparable. But one of them died in a horrific accident in their third year…

"Myrka had come to me a week or two prior to the incident with a proposition for new ways of fighting Grimm. He felt that, given enough training, he would be able to develop his semblance to the point where he could control Grimm with it. He wanted to use it to create an army of Grimm, one that he could direct to attack other Grimm. It was a wonderful ideal, using monsters to kill monsters and not having to risk human lives. But I wasn't as confident as he was. I said no, and sent him away.

"Needless to say, he didn't take that very well. He stormed out in a rage, and I knew that he was determined to prove me wrong. I was tempted to stop him, but I thought I'd give him a chance to test his hypothesis. I thought he would go away and practice, train, get better, make _sure_ he could do it. But, instead, he went and tried it straight away. Despite my prohibition of it, he snuck out one night with one of his teammates to test it.

"They cornered two Ursa, and he tried to bend one to his will. Apparently he succeeded, after a fashion, and he pitted the Ursa against one another. But something went wrong, and his control slipped. Caught unprepared, Myrka and his teammate were attacked by the Ursa and overpowered in seconds. Myrka escaped in the struggle, but his teammate was killed. Myrka returned to the school holding his friend's body, emotionally broken. They teammate who died had been his partner in initiation, and the two remained incredibly close friends during their time here.

"So Myrka sank into a deep depression. He was shattered over the loss of his friend and witnessing it robbed him of the will to fight. He was in care for weeks, we owed him at least that much. But, when he recovered, we had no choice but to hold a tribunal into the incident. And when all the information came to light, I had no choice but to expel him. He had gone against the express orders of the staff, namely myself, and it had resulted in the death of a student.

"He was distraught of course. He railed against it. He said that the only reason he had to live on was to make his 'research', as he called it, a success. Or else his friend would have died in vain. But I couldn't risk any more accidents like the first. I couldn't risk the lives of my students, so he was sent out of the academy. One of his teammates, Shinu Ao, left with him. She was devoted to Myrka and wouldn't believe a single word against him. I would guess she's the woman you saw with him. So they left together, both bitter and angry at me and the school for casting them out. And if what you girls say is true, then he was right. He can now completely control Grimm with his mind."

We stared at him silently. Not only was this the most Professor Ozpin had ever said to us at one time, the story was shocking enough by itself.  
"And you think he's out for revenge?" Weiss asked quietly.  
"I'm surprised it hasn't come sooner actually." Ozpin said matter-of-factly, taking a sip from his mug. "I've been expecting him to try something. I never thought it would be this big though…"  
"And why hasn't anything been done to prepare for this?" Weiss asked, her voice growing heated. "If you were expecting it, surely you should have done something to prevent it, or to get ready for it!"  
"I've had more important things to deal with." Ozpin said, shooting a quick glance at Goodwitch.

"Either way," I said quickly, cutting Weiss' next tirade off. "Do you have any idea what to do to defend the city?" Ozpin thought for a few seconds and nodded.  
"With the time we've gained from your warning, we can prepare the teachers and seniors to defend the city and the academy should an attack come. It is also possible that Myrka's discovery will deter him from attacking. If no attack comes tomorrow, then we'll send a few teams into this tunnel you found and root him out. In the meantime, we need to prepare the school for an assault."

Ozpin began to leave, but Weiss cut him off.  
"Professor Ozpin," she called out to his retreating figure. "If I may ask, how did his semblance specifically work?" Ozpin pondered for a few seconds before replying.  
"If I remember correctly, he let out a high pitched whistle in a certain radius around him. When they heard the whistling, they would cower from it. And when he focussed it on one individual, it would have a much more potent effect, while releasing the others around him from his influence." I looked at Weiss, impressed that she'd thought to ask, before looking back at Ozpin.  
"But sir," I said. "Both Blake and I couldn't get near the trapdoor with passing out from hearing a high pitched whistling. And we're not monsters."

"No," he answered. "You're not. But while he was here, we did some tests on his semblance, to examine its range, effectiveness, and the like. It seems to ring out at a frequency _just _on the edge of human hearing, so most humans aren't affected. Faunus can hear it, they're hearing range extends a little higher than human's."  
"But that doesn't explain how we could hear it." I said.  
"Well, it may be on the edge of human hearing. But it's still within it. But few people's hearing is good enough anymore to hear that high. Tell me, have you ever heard of presbycusis?"  
"Yes," Weiss said. "Age related hearing loss."  
"That's right. At around the age of eighteen, humans' sense of hearing begins to decay. We lose our ability to hear the higher registers of our natural range of hearing. Its effects can be exacerbated or accelerated by long exposure to loud noises, the discharge of ballistic weapons for example."  
"So," Blake said. "What you're saying is, Yang and Weiss can't hear it because they're too old? What about me?"  
"More or less," Ozpin said with a smirk. "They've also been exposed to the sounds of combat and firing weapons for two years longer than Ruby here. So she can still hear it, though I don't know about you."

"Are you saying Blake's a Faunus?" Weiss asked in an almost offended tone.  
"No, no, no." Ozpin said placatingly. "Presbycusis affects everyone a little differently at different times in their life, maybe Miss Belladonna here just got lucky. Maybe she hasn't been around as many guns being fired as you two. Maybe she's not the age she says she is." he added jokingly. "There are a plethora of reasons, any of which could explain it. To be honest, we don't actually know _that_ much about Myrka's semblance, so I can't adequately explain it to you. Presbycusis is simply the best theory we've come up with." He began making his way towards the door, heading back inside. "I'd suggest you girls rest up for the day, you need to be fresh and ready for tomorrow. Come and see me an hour before dawn tomorrow morning, I'll have a job for you." Goodwitch followed him inside as they went to get the academy ready for battle, leaving us staring blankly at each other on the balcony.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Had to make an edit to this, cause someone pointed out that I _really_ messed up. So if you're reading this again at any point and it seems different, that's cause I fixed my screw-up. Thanks all.


	21. Chapter 21: The Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note: **Now, I have a little bit of news that is going to upset people. I'm going to take a break from A Red Stained Remnant for a little while. Now, before you reach for your pitchforks and torches, let me explain why. My next semester of university starts tomorrow, and I need to take some time to work out how writing will be able to fit into my schedule. And I've been writing this pretty much non-stop for nearly three months, I'm kinda getting burned out/blocked. Not to worry, I will definitely come back and finish it. I just need some time to have break from it and to work over my ideas for the ending and how to get there. Now that I've completely bummed you out, enjoy the next chapter! Reviews are always appreciated. :)

* * *

**Yang**

"Okay." I said. "Well… that just happened." The four of us stood on the balcony where Ozpin had left us. We were still processing all the information that Ozpin had just thrown at us. It was hard to believe that, just like that, the entire academy was preparing for war.

Ruby and Weiss were talking quietly to each other on a bench a few meters away. I stood with Blake at the railing of the balcony. We were both leaning on the railing, looking out over the peacefully oblivious city below us.  
"It's funny, isn't it?" I asked Blake idly.  
"What is?"  
"All those people down there," I said with a sigh. "They have no idea what's coming. They're just living they're normal lives, with no idea of what's about to happen."  
"They do say ignorance is bliss." Blake said with a smile. "They also have no idea that they probably owe you their lives."  
"Me? What're you talking about?"  
"If you and Weiss hadn't gone down that tunnel, you'd never have found out about this. We would have had no idea this was coming at all."  
"Ruby was the one who made us go down there." I said, shaking my head.  
"That's true. But you two were the ones who put yourselves in danger to get the information while she sat with me on top of the wall."  
"Well you couldn't help that, you couldn't come near the hole!"  
"I know, I know. But the point remains, you two went into danger while we stayed behind. That means more than Ruby's curiosity." Blake said with a smile.

I returned her smile as I felt my heart swelling with joy. I gazed into her eyes, losing myself in their amber glow. I tore my eyes away and looked out at Vale again.  
"Thanks Blake." I said, still smiling. I reached out and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She laughed quietly as she wriggled into my side and wrapped an arm around my waist, which made me smile all the more.  
"Don't mention it." She said quietly as she rested her head on my shoulder. I opened my mouth to speak, but hesitated. I took a deep breath and slowly closed it, it really wasn't the time. _I love you Blake,_ I thought. _I won't say it to you yet, but I love you all the same. _

"Do you two want to be alone?" Weiss called out. We jumped apart in a flash and turned around. Blake's cheeks turned a bright red as we faced Weiss and Ruby. They were standing near the door, watching us and wearing sardonic grins. "We can go and eat alone if you want some time to yourselves." She continued, causing Blake to blush an even darker red. I felt my cheeks beginning to heat up as I grabbed Blake's arm and pulled her toward the door.

"No, thank you." I said. "We'll be just fine." I let go of Blake as we reached the others and walked inside. I led the way towards the cafeteria. As I turned the first corner I caught the sound of Ruby whispering.  
"See?" she hissed to someone as I rounded the corner, just as I couldn't see who she was talking to. "I told you."

* * *

We'd been sitting in the cafeteria for five minutes before other students starting filtering in from their morning classes. None of us really seemed to have an appetite. We all picked at our food, unable to eat. So we watched the other students, and were amazed at the peace once again. The students clearly hadn't been informed of the coming attack either. It looked… normal. Like an average day at Beacon. And we were the only ones that knew it was anything but.

I gave Ruby a reassuring smile. She sitting was across from Blake and me, with Weiss. She smiled back before turning her attention back to her untouched lunch. My smile faded slowly from my face. It was tough to keep up a cheerful act when I knew what was coming. Ruby was worried, but she hadn't seen what Weiss and I had. All she had was a second hand account. I'd _seen_ the army, if you could call it that.

"Yang!" I jerked my head up as I heard someone call my name. The table jolted as Nora thumped down next to me with a wide grin on her face. "Where have you guys _been_?" she asked as she elbowed me in the ribs a little too hard.  
"Hey there Nora," I laughed. It was a sombre atmosphere, but it was hard to _not _smile when Nora was around. "Sorry, we've been kind of busy."  
"I'll say! I haven't seen you guys in ages! Well, I _did _see you this morning while I was going for a walk with Ren. We like going for walks together. But not _together,_ together, you know? Anyway, I saw you guys leaving campus early this morning. Where did you go? Was it exciting? Did something _awesome _happen?" she stopped talking for an instant to breathe in.  
"No, nothing really." I said quickly, before she could start again. "We just had a job to do for Ozpin."  
"Ooooh what was it?" She asked excitedly.

"Nora," Ren said as he sat down on Nora's other side. "If it were something we should know, we'd have been informed about it."  
"Oh come on!" Nora complained. "I. Want. To. Know!"  
"It was nothing important," Blake said placatingly. "And nothing exciting. You wouldn't have liked it, very boring stuff."  
"Well I'm sure it was an important job, if Professor Ozpin himself asked you to do it." Pyrrha said. She sat down with Jaune, Jaune sitting next to Ruby. "So you shouldn't be prying, Nora. Like Ren said: if we were meant to know, we'd have been told about it."  
"Uh, hey guys." Jaune said shyly.

I rolled my eyes as Ruby greeted Jaune with a small smile on her face. Trust Jaune to derail the conversation with Jaune's Awkward Greeting (Patent Pending). Nora fidgeted in her seat. I could see the curiosity eating at her.

"Nora," I said with a sigh. "We were just doing some inspections along the wall. You remember the Beowolf we fought at the festival last week? Ozpin wanted us to see if we could find out how it got inside the city."  
"Cool! I've never been on the wall. How was it?"  
"High." Blake said. I gave her a side-long look. _Did Blake just make a joke?  
_"I bet!" Nora ploughed on, not noticing the sarcasm. "Those walls are _huge_! I wish I could go up there. Hey Ren, can we go up there? Can we, can we, can we?"  
"I don't think they let people use the city's fortifications for leisurely strolls." Ren said. Nora's smile disappeared for an instant before reappearing.

"So did you guys find anything?" she asked. "Anything cool? Huh, huh, huh?"  
"No," I answered. "We didn't find how it got in. We've got no… idea…" I trailed off as I put two and two together. I shared a quick glance with Weiss, and could that she agreed. The Beowolf had been sent by Myrka. He must have sent it as a test run, to see how easy it would be to penetrate the city's defences. I clenched my fists on the table, trying to contain my suddenly growing anger. _So he's responsible for it. _He's_ the one who hurt Blake._ I swore to myself then that I'd get payback. He deserved to feel all the pain that Blake went through, and then some. _And I'll give it to him. _

"Yang, are you okay?" Pyrrha's voice cut through my thoughts, dragging me back to the present. I looked up, confused.  
"Boy," Nora said. "Is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?" I ran a hand through my hair and realised it was beginning to heat up, and it was probably my fault that it was. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. They didn't need to know yet. Ozpin would tell the rest of the students when they needed to know. Besides, they deserved to be able to eat. If we told them, they'd lose their appetites just like we did.

"Yeah," I said once I'd pushed the anger away. Having a semblance dependant on emotions had its disadvantages at times. "Yeah, I'm fine." I forced a smile on my face, trying to make it look as natural as possible. I felt Blake rub my arm reassuringly and the smile eased, becoming a real one. I lifted my hand up quickly and grabbed hers. I squeezed her hand as I lowered it, so no one could see it. I loosened my grip when I felt her squeeze mine back. Pyrrha was still eyeing me with concern, but no one had noticed me grabbing Blake's hand. I felt myself relaxing, growing calmer, as we continued to hold hands under the table.

I shifted my hand slightly, so our fingers were interlocked, and traced small circles on the back of Blake's hand with my thumb. I closed my eyes for a second and lost myself in the repetitive motion, the smoothness of her skin and our sudden, unexpected closeness. I opened my eyes and smiled at Pyrrha again.  
"All good," I said calmly. Pyrrha inspected my face for a few seconds longer before nodding and smiling back.  
"Okay," she said. "If you're sure." With that, Pyrrha turned her attention to her lunch. I shot a small smile at Blake. Blake smiled back with a faint blush.

I looked over at Jaune and Ruby; the two seemed deep in conversation. Weiss was pointedly ignoring them. She'd pulled a nail file from God knows where and was sprucing up her nails. _Got to look your best for a war, _I thought to myself with a chuckle. _Wow, that was dark, even for my standards._ Jaune laughed loudly while Ruby smiled. His laughter died when we realised Ruby, or anyone else for that matter, was joining in. His cheeks turned a bright red and he focussed on his lunch. I chuckled and shook my head. That guy was hopeless.

The rest of lunch passed as it usually did: we ate quietly while listening to one of Nora's stories until someone started a conversation of their own. I continued to hold Blake's hand, which made it hard to eat. For once I was grateful that the coming danger had ruined my appetite.

Nora was in the middle of her story when she was interrupted by an announcement over the PA. _All students,_ the voice called out, _are to report to the amphitheatre immediately. I repeat: all students are to report to the amphitheatre immediately. _The member of Team JNPR shared concerned looks with each other.

"What's going on?" Jaune asked. Ruby pointedly looked away in attempt to avoid the question.  
"I'm not sure," Pyrrha replied. "We'd best go and find out." She got to her feet while Jaune inhaled the last of his lunch. Nora and Ren followed suit, pushing in their chairs behind them. Pyrhha paused when she saw that none of us were getting up to follow them.

"Are you four coming?" she asked. We all looked at each other, wondering what to say. We'd been ordered to rest up for the rest of the day, and Ozpin wanting to talk to us himself probably meant he'd fill us in with everything we needed to know.  
"Uh no," Ruby said. "Professor Ozpin asked us to do something else." Pyrrha looked at Ruby for a few seconds before turning her gaze on to the rest of us. Then, eventually, she nodded.  
"Okay," she said. "Then we'll see you all later then." She turned to follow after Nora and Ren, who had already begun moving towards the door, with Jaune at her side.

I turned my gaze to the others and let go of Blake's hand. Interlocking my fingers together, I placed my hands on the table and leant forward.  
"So what do we do now?" I asked.  
"I guess we go back to our room and get some sleep, if we can." Ruby replied. Weiss nodded in agreement.  
"Ozpin was right; we'll need to be at our best tomorrow morning. Getting some rest would be the best thing to do." she said.

We cleaned up after ourselves and waded through the throngs of students, eventually making it to our dorm. We collapsed on our beds and lay in silence. The sounds of footsteps stampeded past our door as the remaining student made their way to the amphitheatre. Once they passed, our room was filled with silence. The curtains were drawn, leaving us in darkness. And so, in time, we all managed to tumble into a restless sleep.

* * *

We all woke up at various times throughout the afternoon and night, none of us slept soundly. But we slept enough that by the time the clock read '04:00' we felt well-rested and ready for whatever was to come. We readied our weapons, performing last minute maintenance and replenishing our supplies of Dust. Blake and Ruby were idly grinding at their weapons with whetstones to sharpen up the blades before the attack. Weiss was sharpening Myrtenaster's point and oiling the axle of its cylinder. I'd cleaned out the barrels of Ember Celica and checked the mechanisms and was ready to go.

We stood in a small circle in our room, facing each other.  
"Is everybody ready?" Ruby asked. We all nodded, standing at the ready. We were dressed in our combat gear, our weapons resting in their sheaths—or on my wrists in my case—and we were about to go to see Professor Ozpin.

"Okay," Ruby continued. "Well I guess we'd better go."  
"What?" I asked with a grin. "No motivational speech?"  
"We don't even know what we're doing yet." Weiss said with a small smile on her face too. Ruby's attempt at rolling her eyes was ruined by the blush flooding her cheeks.  
"Come on, you guys. Let's just go." She said as she led the way out the door. I shared a smile with Blake as we followed her out into the hall.

We found Ozpin standing behind his desk in his office, poring over maps of the city, the academy and the surrounding grounds. He looked up as we entered and sat down in his chair.  
"Excellent timing," he said as we lined up in front of his desk. "We've just finished setting up everything for our defence plan. I'm going to send you girls to the wall again. I want you to see if you can get back into Myrka's hideout and find any information you can that might give us an advantage."

"Uh… sir?" Ruby asked, raising her hand. Ozpin made a show of looking around the room intently.  
"Hmm… Yes. Ruby," Ozpin pointed Ruby out like she was asking a question in a classroom. I turned my head to the side and sniggered into my hand. Ruby smiled and blushed slightly before continuing.  
"Won't he be there?" she asked. "Wouldn't he be co-ordinating the attack?"  
"No," Ozpin said. "We don't think so. His semblance only works over a certain radius around him. So if he wants to make a co-ordinated attack on Beacon, he'll need to be here. We think he'll move the other monsters into position under the city and open whatever doors he has to get them to the surface. He won't need to be there to keep them under control, because he only needs them to go wild and attack." It did make sense. And any intelligence we could get would be helpful to the defence.

"We're expecting the attack to begin in the next hour or so," Ozpin continued. "He hasn't attacked yet, so we're assuming he's still going to attack at dawn. We've sent the older students into the city to defend the citizens, and we've got the teachers here to defend the school. So the only job I want you four to focus on is getting us any information you can, we'll take care of the defence. Once you find something, anything at all, bring it back to me here. I'll stay here to keep track of everything."  
"What about the first years?" Ruby asked.  
"They're being held in reserve." Ozpin answered. "We don't want them getting involved if possible, but they're resting now in case we need them later in the day. I need you four to do this job for me because no one else knows where the hideout is, and we don't have time to explain it to someone else."

"Wait a second," Weiss interjected. "If the attack begins in an hour, as you're guessing, then to get back we'll have to make it back through the middle of an all-out war."  
"That's correct." Ozpin replied. "However, if you follow the wall towards Beacon on the way back, you should be able to avoid most of it, if not bypass it entirely."

"We'll be off then!" Ruby declared as she spun to face the door. As we turned to follow her, Ozpin called out to us again.  
"Even if you don't find anything, come back here. I'll have more for you to do." He said. He stood and resumed inspecting the maps strewn over his desk, and we left.

The halls of Beacon were empty as we walked down them. It was an eerie silence, like the calm before the storm. It all seemed too peaceful. The older students were in the city, guarding the citizenry; the teachers were outside, guarding the approach from Forever Fall; and the younger students were asleep, or at least resting. That left us alone in the corridors. It felt like Beacon had already lost, and no one was left. I shook my head, clearing any thoughts like that out of my head. _We're going to win this,_ I thought, _we have to win this. _

We left the school as the light of dawn began creeping over the horizon. The sun wasn't coming up yet, but it was beginning to brighten in the sky ahead of its ascent. We took off running as we crossed the threshold of the main doors. Hell for leather, we ran. We had a job to do, and not enough time to do it.


End file.
